March 6, 2000
By Karen Kenworthy
IN THIS ISSUE
We're having an early Spring here at the secluded Power Tools workshop. There hasn't been a freeze in almost a month, and tonight we're having a good old- fashioned rain storm. I love the sound of rain on the roof, and distant thunder. I know our flowers, trees, and grass are waking from their Winter slumber. In no time the woods around us will be bursting with new growth. I've even seen some newborn lambs nearby. What a great time to be alive!
Registry Ripper Redux
Speaking of new arrivals, many of you wrote about my baby, the new Registry Ripper (how's that for a segue? My mind's still on the rain). One, from Keith Halden, came with this suggestion: "I have run Ripper today, searched for keys with my name attached and found several but was unable to scroll to the right and therefore unable to read the complete line of text. Is there a chance you will update Ripper with a horizontal scroll bar?"
There's more than a chance. I had wanted the first version of the Ripper to have a scrollbar. Unfortunately, scrollbars aren't standard equipment on Windows list boxes, such as the one the Ripper uses to display search results. And Visual Basic (the programming language used to write the Ripper) doesn't provide an easy way to add that option.
But I found a workaround. By using the Windows API (Application Programming Interface) SendMessage function, a program can ask Windows to add a scrollbar to a list box. And that's exactly what the latest version of the Registry Ripper does. Those with propellers on their beanies are referred to the program's source code (available for free from https://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptregrip) for details. But here's a hint: You must send the list box's window a message containing the special number known as LB_SETHORIZONTALEXTENT, or &H194. To the rest of the world this number is 404.
The new Ripper includes another often requested feature. It seems that viewing and saving Registry entries is only half the fun. Many want to delete Registry entries too. I should have expected that, after my Cookie Viewer became a Cookie Killer over the last few weeks, thanks to popular demand. :)
Now, beside the Save button, you'll find a question checkbox labeled "Delete after saving?" Place a checkmark here and the Registry entries you select will be deleted immediately after saving. As a safeguard, the Ripper won't remove any Registry entries it hasn't saved for a .REG file you select.
And there's more! The newest Registry Ripper lets you perform more complex searches. Beside the text box where you enter your search string, you'll now find a checkbox labeled "Search within results of previous search." If this box is checked, the next search you ask the Ripper to perform will be confined to Registry entries you located in your most recent full Registry search.
Suppose, for example, you ask the Registry Ripper to search the Registry for all entries containing the text "Karen." If your Registry is like mine, it'll find almost 20 entries. If not, perhaps you should search for your own name.
But suppose you want to find all Registry entries containing both "Karen" and "Profile?" Now it's easy. Just enter the search string "Profile," check the "Search within results of previous search" checkbox, and ask the Ripper to search again. This time it'll only look for the specified search string, "Profile," among those Registry entries it found before. You can repeat this process, searching for additional strings, to narrow your Registry selections as often as you need.
If you'd like to update your copy of the Ripper, or obtain a new one, just visit the Ripper's home page at https://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptregrip. As always, the program and its Visual Basic source code are free.
Countdown Timer Update
And while you're visiting, why not pick up a copy of the newest Countdown Timer II? It's intermittent amnesia, when running under Windows NT or Windows 2000 has finally been cured, I hope! And I recently added a nifty new feature: Importing and Exporting of events.
Now, when you right-click your mouse anywhere on the Timer's main window, you'll see two new choices on the context menu that appears. One, called Export, allows you to save all your events to a PTE (Power Tools Event) disk file. That file can be stored in a safe place, or copied to another computer. The other new menu choice, called Import, opens a PTE file, and adds all the events it contains to the Timer's schedule.
So now, you can create and distribute files containing "standard" events, of interest throughout your company or family. And you can easily move your schedule of events from one computer to another. It's all possible in Countdown Timer II version 2.8, available for free at https://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptcount2.
One More Cookie Crumb
Want more? Well I've been a busy girl the last few days. Recently Duane Kraeger wrote: "It is a rather tedious process for each cookie to: highlight the contents of the "Cookie is available to" window, copy it to the clipboard, switch to a Web browser window, highlight the current address on the address bar, paste the new address, and press enter. To be able to click a button or something and let Cookie Reader bring up the site, would save a lot of keystrokes and avoid a lot of opportunities to make mistakes. It sure would be a great feature. Let me know what you think."
Duane, I think that's a great idea! So I added it to Cookie Viewer version 2.7. Now, if you click anywhere in the "Cookie is available to" window, the Cookie Viewer will launch your Web browser and direct it to the cookie's home site. Some of the time.
That's because the "Cookie is available to" information doesn't always specify a Web site, such as www.company.com. Sometimes it specifies a "Second Level Domain", such as company.com. There may or may not be a Web server running on the computer that supports the second level domain. If not, you'll have to edit the URL, after it's been inserted into your browser's location field, by adding the "www." prefix. On the other hand, there often is a Web server running on the second level domain's computer, and it may display information not available on the more public site...
The new Cookie Version also has a feature suggested by Phil Bornemeier: "Thanks for Cookie Viewer. It's very useful. And I have already used it to crumble a few cookies in my browser files. The Data Value field does not wrap or show horizontal scroll controls, so a very long cookie value may be viewed only in sections by selecting it and using the cursor positioning keys. Recommend that it be made to wrap."
And so it does. You can download your free copy of this new Cookie Viewer at https://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptcookie.
News From Adaptec
Before I go, I want to thank everyone who wrote last week, helping me get Adaptec's EZ-CD Creator program running under Windows 2000. The whole episode was confusing because Windows 2000 setup, and Adaptec's own Web site, stated that no current versions of that program would run under Windows 2000. On the other hand, elsewhere Adaptec's Web site said the program *does* run under Windows 2000, a fact confirmed by many of you.
To get to the bottom of this, I contacted Adaptec's PR person responsible for all their software products. Here's what she had to say: "Sorry for the confusion. It is a big issue here and we are working to figure it out. But, I do have an answer for you. Below is the correct patch:"
http://webcheckup.adaptec.com/ecdc-win2k/
Many sharp-eyed readers had already found this Web page. There you'll find a patch that allows EZ-CD Creator version 3.5 to run under Windows 2000. Adaptec doesn't officially support this (they say version 3.5 will never be officially supported under Win 2000), but it does work for almost everyone who's tried it.
If you have a newer version of the program (either version 4.0 or 4.01), no patch is necessary. It should run, as is, under Win 2000. It should, that is, unless your CD Writer is connected via USB or Firewire (IEEE 1394). In that case, you'll have to wait for the upgrade to EZ-CD Creator called version 4.02, now expected to be a free download available around the first of April.
Well, that's enough free publicity for Adaptec. And I've got to get back to work, so I'll have new features and programs to write about next week! Until then, here's something I recently heard from Bill Kabat: "About 20 years ago I read an interesting quote (I don't remember source), it was 'The renaissance man of tomorrow will be someone that has a vague idea of what the people in the cubicles to either side of him are doing.'"
Too true, though cubicles are banned from the secluded Power Tools workshop. But I do know one thing. If you see me on the 'Net before we all get together again next week, be sure to give me a big wave and say "Hi!" I'll wave right back at ya'.
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