Glenn9999

I figured this out. Evidently, there's a bug in Delphi on handling bitmaps when there is no PixelFormat specified. It goes up to the highest graphic environment encountered (and on the problem machine 32-bits) and then drew the garbage. Explicitly stating it in each step of the process fixes it. Also, as implied, there's a problem in the draw setup for 32-bit bitmaps - I was able to fix that, but throttling it down to 24-bit fixed it as well.

Okay, figured this out. It works in 16-bit graphic environments, but not 32-bit graphic environments. Evidently it will take some research on how to fix. Thanks for reading. Edit: And drawing 16-bit icons works in the 32-bit environment. It just doesn't handle 24-bit icons well for some reason.

I tried XP Pro SP3 (vanilla) on a VM, and it worked. It works on my development machine, and on Windows ME (VM and real). So I'm thinking that the problem is something unique to the configuration of this machine. I'll probably try patching the SP3 VM and see if anything changes. I don't know how GDI works with the drivers, so I can't say really what to try next if the patched SP3 VM works. Try contacting the video driver maker maybe. Edit: Tried it on a fully patched XP Pro SP3 VM. Worked there too.

I'm still trying to figure this one out. Some screen shots. It looks like garbage when I try to screen shot it and save it, but here's the good one, this works as it should. And then there's the bad one. Not working, but only on a specific machine. Could this be a driver issue of some kind?

I've been working on a program where I've been redrawing icons and then posting them. The problem is on this specific machine I'm trying it on, is that it is not redrawing. This is real puzzling because the program works flawlessly on my test machine. But if I save the icon and then reload it, it only draws from the left up to the end of the content of the icon on the right, and then leaves the rest white. Any ideas on how to address this? Or a good related question: How do you know what the size is of the icons like on the taskbar, notification area, or the form?

If I remember right, 98 has what amounts to two startup sequences. One system wide, one for command prompts. If you get that driver into the system-wide part, there shouldn't be any reason why it shouldn't run, as long as you don't take too much memory away so Windows itself can't start. Assuming 98 can use all the memory (1 GB might be too much, I don't know?), it should be fine, especially since you should be able to run MS RAMDRIVE.SYS without a problem...

If you can handle computer repair, this is simple stuff. Like was said, hook your LEDs up in series and put the switch in there someplace. You just need to make sure your power source matches up to what the LEDs are designed for, and you should get it.

Yeah I'd try getting an EMS provider online. Often times with software of that era, it wouldn't be very clear, just would say "not enough memory", but not too specific on what KIND of memory. Like with the SB Audigy drivers, they want EMS memory on the first 2MB block or so of extended, but all they will do on load is say "not enough memory". Probably good to have the EMS provider online anyway, to be sure that anything you might try will work. This is good because my understanding is that EMS memory was always easier to program for than XMS, so many programs used it. I know IE 5.01 works on WFW 3.11 because I've done it (long time ago, though). Keep at it and you should get it working!

WFW 3.11 runs on top of DOS. This means you have DOS drivers running which provide memory. You would need to check those and the amount of memory they provide. Some of the older ones would have trouble with huge amounts of memory (by the standards of those times - 128MB would qualify). See if you can shut down WFW 3.11 to DOS and then check the amount of memory it reports (main, EMS, XMS). If it reports odd stuff, you might have to update the memory drivers (HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE) from newer stuff. If you are stuck from there on what to do (MEM.EXE doesn't report odd stuff, upgrading those drivers doesn't work), post your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and I'm sure we can help.

And if this is an issue, you'll probably need the 128-bit encryption pack as well. (they probably should list that in with IE on the oldapps site...) http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/downloads/recommended/128bit/default.mspx

Actually it does, since IE9 uses those things. For IE9 to work on XP, a project to emulate those things (similar to KernelEx for 98/ME) would be necessary. edit: I would be remiss to point out that an attempt at one does indeed already exist, Alky for Applications 1.1, though it is short of a few functions required for the installer (and I'm sure more for IE itself, but I'm sure there will be a press on the developers to fix it in 1.2 if there will be one?). But you can already use that to run a number of Vista things on XP.

This kind of functions as a news item since it reflects a major change to the Google search interface, but as well I thought I'd start a thread asking for impressions about it. For me, I'm finding it a little inconvenient (both for the results popping up as you type), and the fact that you lose your place if you try to autoprompt something further in search terms. Of course you can turn it off in preferences, though for this coming in default it can be a bit annoying. Wonder if the others, like Bing, will try to copy? An article from PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com/article/205041/google_instant_searches_the_web_as_you_type.html?tk=fv_rel

They wouldn't. The problem is if they can't obtain those licenses when they get to replace computers (either by purchase or donation). Lots run Vista now simply because that's what they ended up with. The same will be with Windows 7 - they simply won't have the option because Microsoft doesn't give it to them without additional costs they can't justify as not-for-profits (and for donations they have to take what they can get). As a side note, most of them aren't unified on OS because they got to take what they can get when they can get it. Edit: And you'd think Linux would be the perfect solution as well, but they got to go with the talent they can get, too. Usually they have to accept preloads because they don't know how to load or support Linux and have something relatively mainstream to be taken seriously by the public at large. Don't know. Perhaps they don't figure SteadyState is of interest to the average corporate entity. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d077a52d-93e9-4b02-bd95-9d770ccdb431&displaylang=en

You really should be using Microsoft Update Catalog to get your updates (outside of the other one I pointed you to). This will net all updates they posted publicly which may or may not show on your offline MBSA scan. You can download this update in question from there (I just checked). http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Home.aspx Downloaded File Name: X86-all-windows-kb890830-v3.8_a05d6e916515124e6c2243eb687d4baeb6ecc035.exe MD5: 582C756F06C4C9C6858AAE4F9D9E8DA4 SHA1: A05D6E916515124E6C2243EB687D4BAEB6ECC035 The stuff on the end of the file name is the SHA1 value Microsoft reports. When you load the site, you'll be presented with a search box, where you can type keywords for whatever you are looking for. For example, to find this update, I typed "Windows 2000 890830". For a generic search, type "Windows 2000" and then you can click on the returned columns to sort the result by that column. Clicking on "Last Updated" will likely be useful since this will return the updates in chronological order (newest first). (I should mention you need to use IE to access this site)

It runs on top of XP or Vista (as was said). To go beyond that from my experience (and memory, I played with it not soon after it came out), it mainly functions as an on-the-top monitor, which limits access to certain things, and more over prevents permanent changes to settings or the system drive. In effect it limits critical changes and records all other changes and then performs a rollback of any changes once the user logs off. I found it interesting and very useful as a free option for public machines, but found it to slow down a modern system considerably. If one is able to pay much (most public machine owners aren't), there are better options for this. To that end, there are many people in these public machine situations that are crying and clamoring for a version of this software that supports Windows 7, and are refusing to adopt Windows 7 without having this functionality. As well, they are complaining pretty hard to Microsoft about discontinuing support of the version that is out there now. As for the average PC user, it's an interesting toy to play with and see what it is in case you end up doing computer maintenance for a non-profit (the chief users of SteadyState).

Yes, indeed. It's quite an experience to see one of these sponges or external reservoirs. I took apart my old Epson once and truthfully only video did what I saw justice in trying to explain it. Nasty.

This may not be clear from the error message, but what it sounds like it is complaining about is *NOT* MBSA, but Windows Update Agent. You will need to update this. You can either do that by going to the Windows Update website (it should not load without prompting you to upgrade this), or by downloading the offline update. The current version of the piece it sounds like its complaining about is 7.4.7600.226. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949104 Hope this gets it.

1.1 then 3.5 (which includes 2 & 3) then 4.0 will cover all the bases for any .NET based application you might run into.

And what does this have to do with modifying or changing the underlying windows display and messaging to have a "minimize to tray" button on each and every window, or make Windows itself do such a task upon minimizing a program?

I might be able to help on this one, since I've written one of those kinds of apps and posted it on these forums (had to remove it for attachment size limits, but that's another problem). Indeed, this is not an inherent capability of Windows. In fact, a tray icon is directly controlled by an application. Which means any actions taken upon that tray icon are routed to the application it belongs to as messages. That application then has to respond to those messages. Now, in taking over another application, you have to do some things to that application outside of its design. Which means if you want use of the program again, you have to have a memory-resident monitor there to take messages from the tray icon and then undo what you did to put the application to the tray if the user clicks on the tray icon. In fact, the way my program works requires all min-trayed programs to be unminimized if the monitor itself is shut down. As for indicating this action to be done, it requires its own tray application (or UI at least). Otherwise, you start messing with the underlying windowing system (*), since there seems to be no provision for such things in the base Windows. I have other ideas, but I'm not sure how well they would work in implementation. In essence the problem you have without having some UI presence of this monitor is indicating what program you want minimized to the tray. Now to move to the command-line thing, I know you could start a program and force it to the tray, but the problem with a necessarily non-resident application called through script is that you would need to have a way to reestablish control of the program if you desired - all you would have without the monitor is a dead tray icon and an application you couldn't control without killing and restarting it. Maybe this will help at least determine what is possible and maybe spur some ideas. (*) - I'm sure there are some here who know exactly how to do that with 98/ME, but I'm not sure how that could carry over to XP/Vista/7

Service Pack 3 handles most of the SP2 updates. Of course, your problem will be that there are about 100 or so updates that you could put on a SP3 system.

Not sure it fits here, but something odd that I found with someone's DVD player recently. I put a video in it and it started making noises (rattling I suppose?) and then wouldn't play. This same DVD player played 2 movies just fine afterward, so I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas what it is? My best guess is that the disc in question isn't balanced in weight? But this disc is played much in another player I have (my own) without any problems, so I'm not so sure... (Possibly my player has a better tray that holds the disc better?)

Not a lot to add, but I've run into a couple of things with my XP which I'll bring up. 1) I've observed that they lock down keys based on a total number of activations. In other words, if you're into installing XP a lot for whatever reason they'll think you're installing to multiple computers and you'll have to call them up. In having anything to do with them, you're always guilty until proven innocent so prepared to be hassled by The Man. 2) If you have a XP pre-service pack 3, you'll have to watch the order you install since they changed the key validation scheme between the service packs. The hard part is to remember which key you validated.

That's good you found it. Ideal would be to put it on a current site, but there are always EULA concerns to that, even when it comes to defunct software. As long as one probes www.wirelessecuritycorp.com , the file should be somewhere in the Download page of the site.