The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[4691mls]

Fortunately I'm not the one who's sick, but was communicating with a friend about another friend with medical issues.

[ownedbycats]

So a few years ago, I purchased a "lifetime license" for some software. Now... it's failing to recognize its registered and reverting to the demo mode. Reinstallation didn't work. Developer isn't responding to my emails.

Thankfully I'm not locked out of my data but I'm looking to a tedious data migration.

[Bradles]

Originally Posted by Bradles

The MobileRead site regularly fails to connect on one particular computer, in fact the one I'm using now. If I

ipconfig /flushdns

it starts working again.

This issue seems to have "resolved itself" as they say. I installed the "November 2021" update (Feature update to Windows 10, version 21H2) on 17 December and the cumulative update (KB4023057) on the 18th. No recurrence since then.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Bradles

This issue seems to have "resolved itself" as they say. I installed the "November 2021" update (Feature update to Windows 10, version 21H2) on 17 December and the cumulative update (KB4023057) on the 18th. No recurrence since then.

Hmm... now you mention it, it has been a while since I've seen problems loading MR. I couldn't say exactly when the problems stopped. I'm still on Windows 10 20H2 - but I have been applying the cumulative updates.

Windows Update is offering me 21H1 but I've been ignoring it until some work commitments are over (which was supposed to happen by Christmas but are now stretching out to Feb or March). I'd really like Windows Update to offer me 21H2 and skip past 21H1 - I have limited bandwidth and download, and several machines to update - but I'm not sure if they will do that or not. In the past I've skipped updates by downloading ISO images of the latest, but that seems to reset more things back to their defaults which is annoying.

[gmw]

Or did I just jinx everything by saying it was okay? Everything else seemed okay but MR unavailable to me for a few hours this afternoon ... but back for now

[Darqref]

Another grumble. My primary computer is a Win7 box. Yes I know it's old, but it's what I've got. I do a lot of reading procurement for my mother, who is legally blind. I download audio books from several sources, but mostly the library for the blind, and our local public library.

In the process of copying these files to usb chips for her reader (provided by the WTBBL), I end up moving files around from archives on my hard drive (she likes to re-read books, sometimes frequently.)

When I do this, I'm constantly finding that Windows explorer has closed all of the parts of the file tree that I recently opened, and will re-use, forcing me to re-open the tree again. I haven't found any way to force Win7 to change this behavior.

1. Am I overlooking something that actually *will* change the behavior to leave the folders open?

2. Anyone got a favorite replacement for windows explorer that would do this instead?

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Darqref

Another grumble. My primary computer is a Win7 box. Yes I know it's old, but it's what I've got. I do a lot of reading procurement for my mother, who is legally blind. I download audio books from several sources, but mostly the library for the blind, and our local public library.

In the process of copying these files to usb chips for her reader (provided by the WTBBL), I end up moving files around from archives on my hard drive (she likes to re-read books, sometimes frequently.)

When I do this, I'm constantly finding that Windows explorer has closed all of the parts of the file tree that I recently opened, and will re-use, forcing me to re-open the tree again. I haven't found any way to force Win7 to change this behavior.

1. Am I overlooking something that actually *will* change the behavior to leave the folders open?

2. Anyone got a favorite replacement for windows explorer that would do this instead?

1. Try this.

2. I like XYplorer, but it's pricey.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Darqref

Another grumble. My primary computer is a Win7 box. Yes I know it's old, but it's what I've got. I do a lot of reading procurement for my mother, who is legally blind. I download audio books from several sources, but mostly the library for the blind, and our local public library.

In the process of copying these files to usb chips for her reader (provided by the WTBBL), I end up moving files around from archives on my hard drive (she likes to re-read books, sometimes frequently.)

When I do this, I'm constantly finding that Windows explorer has closed all of the parts of the file tree that I recently opened, and will re-use, forcing me to re-open the tree again. I haven't found any way to force Win7 to change this behavior.

1. Am I overlooking something that actually *will* change the behavior to leave the folders open?

2. Anyone got a favorite replacement for windows explorer that would do this instead?

You could try Q Dir It's been my default for several years. It's light, small and free, so you have nothing to lose by trying it out

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Darqref

. . .

2. Anyone got a favorite replacement for windows explorer that would do this instead?

I use a rather ancient version of xplorer² Pro. I've been using it and its 2X Explorer predecessor since late last century.

There's a free version known as xplorer² Lite ==>> https://www.zabkat.com/x2lite.htm. You could start by trying it - its probably all you need.

The reason I haven't upgraded is I had no use for the new features.

Here's the support forum, https://forum.zabkat.com/index.php

Added: Oh, I use it alongside Windows Explorer, it can replace but that opens cans of worms.

BR

[gmw]

I see BetterRed beat me to it. I use xplorer² from Zabkat too. Mine's reasonably up to date. It's relatively plain to look at but there are a myriad of options and lots of power for those that want it, or you can keep it simple.

I looked at Q Dir mentioned by Uncle Robin and it didn't float my boat, but given the description of your problem you may find it fits well.

I quite liked XYplorer when I looked at it some years ago, but at that time they were having trouble properly supporting 64bit systems (in a manner acceptable to me, anyway). I don't know if they have fixed that since.

I looked at lots more some years ago, but these were the pick of the bunch at the time and xplorer² was what fitted me best. I've updated with each of the major version changes - which has been often enough to give comfort that development is still happening, but not so often that the developer seems greedy.

Oh, and I second BR's advice. Full Windows Explorer replacement can be troublesome, I much prefer to leave that as it is and just run xplorer² like any other application.

[ownedbycats]

XYplorer also has an option to replace Explorer, but the behaviour can get a bit weird. Particularly when certain applications instead call Explorer directly when opening a directory, but then clicking anything inside that Explorer window then opens it in my XYplorer instance.

[ownedbycats]

Playing a game that's... well, with VSync off, my GPU fans sounded like I was running the vacuum cleaner. I checked and it was outputting 250-300 fps. I have a 60 hz monitor. That's a lot of wasted frames.

Sadly it didn't have a physics engine.

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

XYplorer also has an option to replace Explorer, but the behaviour can get a bit weird. Particularly when certain applications instead call Explorer directly when opening a directory, but then clicking anything inside that Explorer window then opens it in my XYplorer instance.

Thanks for the recommendations. I've been playing around with this for a week or so now, and it looks like it will do the job. The only strange thing is it doesn't list the zip files in the tree, but I can still get at them.

[ownedbycats]

Updating a program and it seems the developer had forgotten to include a /norestart flag on the included Visual C++ redistributables. whoops, suddenly Windows is rebooting without any warning.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Darqref

In the process of copying these files to usb chips for her reader (provided by the WTBBL), I end up moving files around from archives on my hard drive (she likes to re-read books, sometimes frequently.)

When I do this, I'm constantly finding that Windows explorer has closed all of the parts of the file tree that I recently opened, and will re-use, forcing me to re-open the tree again. I haven't found any way to force Win7 to change this behavior.

I'm nor certain I understand the problem, and what you mean by "keeping folder open". The simple solutio0n for that is to use Windows Explorer to open the folders you want. and simply not close it when done. Just minimize to the desktop. (I don't believe "Re-open Windows Explorer with the same folders I was looking at last time" is an option, and I wouldn't use it if it was.)

I run Win10 Pro these days, but migrated from Win7. Win10 Pro keeps track of recently opened folders, and I can select from a list. My memory is that Win7 did something similar. Personally, I don;t use the feature. It's the work of a moment to navigate the file system to get to what I want.

I looked back when at an assortment of alternative file managers including those suggested ehre, but find Windows Explorer more than adequate.

One thing I did add under Win7 and continue to use is Clover, from EJIE Technology. Clover adds a tabbed interface to Windows Explorer. I can open a file folder in Windows Explorer for source files, and another for the destination foe the files in a separate tab. Select teh files I want to transfer in the first tab, and select Copy, then switch to the second tab and select Paste. Poof! Done!

Clover can use Chrome themes, but I don't. And you can tear off a Clover Explorer tab and make it a separate window if desired.

(Clover is from a Chinese developer, and the website and docs are not in English. It gets knocked for displaying ads. That can be turned off in installation, but it isn't obvious. The short form is "Don't check either of the optional boxes the installer will display".)

A simpler solution for you might be shortcuts on the desktop. A shortcut does not have to point to a program. It can point to a drive, or a folder on a drive.

Right click on the desktop, and select New in the list, then Shortcut. In the Shortcut box, navigate the file system and click on the folder you want a shortcut for. Windows will create the shortcut on your desktop, and double-clicking it opens the folder. Do that again for the other folder.

Double-click the folder where the audio book archives are to open it to select files, select the desired files, and click Copy. Then double-click the shortcut folder where you need to put the files to copy yo your mom's device., and click Paste.

Unless I misunderstand your problem, that should be what you want.

If you want to look at Clover, Major Geeks is a good English language source.

https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/clover.html
______
Dennis