soporific

It's all good! I may have used less words for the server connection title text but overall i like your changes so just keep it as it is. HOWEVER!!! Can i please get some clarification on something ... as my first post pointed out, all the settings in the TCP/IP section change the CURRENT_USER (CU) key when we are supposed to be changing (or adding in this case) the LOCAL_MACHINE key --- but even this is not entirely correct. Prior to applying these settings, there is no such thing as HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SYSTEM -- that entire key section only exists in LOCAL_MACHINE (LM). When i try to use a 3rd party program to set my Receive Window value after setting it using the new options, it obviously can't read my new value because it's looking in LM for it when my settings are in CU. So if i go ahead and use the 3rd party program to change my settings, LM will be changed but not CU. This is totally contradictory - something can't work in the above. Please comment ... Yep, i will create an installer that saves these are restores them if you un-install from Add/Remove programs.

* I am going to completely re-do Win98-to-Me for v1.96 -- too many people are now reporting problems, and its the BEST single update you can apply. I will release the package as soon as its finished so all those that had problems will be able to finally install it --- it will be packaged as a stand-alone install which will then be incorporated into Auto-Patcher. * Running Auto-Patcher again shouldn't cause any problems that it didn't cause the first time. It MAY install an update it didn't previously but that is normal as some updates aren't available until others are installed. * v1.96 will try to address all reported issues * Use the Windows Update (WU) menu option from the Auto-Patcher main menu and it will give more information about which updates WU falsely reports about. You are correct, you don't need to worry about those. * 4.90.3000A means you have installed the Win98-to-Me module !! - things that should be changed: the My Computer icon, the default color of the desktop background with no wallpaper selected, and most importantly, your computer should be 'zippier' --- ie faster and more responsive! * Those 3 'missing' updates are false alarms. The reason is you have installed the unofficial updates that are more recent than the official ones. WU doesn't like this ... This is just an initial reply, I will investigate further and get back to both of you

Downloaded the ZIp file ... but it was EMPTY! Wow, how'd you manage that? I just downloaded it then and wasn't able to find it empty. Strange days indeed! So the song says ... I'll post a link to the EXE file for you just in case there really is a problem and it's not just you! http://soporific.files-upload.com/154850/W..._v1.21.exe.html PROBLEM! Try new 1.21 and... no working! only MAC adress.... i try old version 1.01 and shock: working. Why? (Fix applied on Windows98 SE / czech, full original update and with Gape SP czech version by Petr) i just downloaded it again, and used it --- can a neutral observer check that the link works and that the file is not empty? Maybe there's something, but darned if i can find it...

This is the link to use for resume ... http://soporific.dsleague.com/downloads/Au...2_installer.exe

Oh dude, your machine sounds like it needs a wee little tune up ... or you could give it a good old wipe, and re-install. Now, do i have just the thing for you ... i've nearly finished v4.5 of the unattended boot CD which you can use to re-install your OS. Although how to get the program to you is gonna be the hard part ... let me get back to you on this ...! And re: different experiences with WU from day to day --- seriously, i think Microsoft do so much twiddling with their stuff, i'm not surprised about anything they try to pull off these days ... it's totally ironic that we are accused of having a *mac* OS when we actually have their VERY OWN PRODUCT ... far out, talk about disowning their old baby. anyway, don't get me started ... and i'm sorry you are having probs!

Anyone, anyone? I want to start including some hotfixes into my unattended boot cd project Probably not because you'd have to be a bit zealous to create a list like this one, and, let's face it, who's going to get passionately zealous about Windows Me? (enough to go to the trouble that is) The job is there for the taking ... me, i'd prefer to jostle with many others for the Win98se one ...

Downloaded the ZIp file ... but it was EMPTY! Wow, how'd you manage that? I just downloaded it then and wasn't able to find it empty. Strange days indeed! So the song says ... I'll post a link to the EXE file for you just in case there really is a problem and it's not just you! http://soporific.files-upload.com/154850/W..._v1.21.exe.html

Oh well, sorry it didn't work for you ... it seems that it doesn't work for many others, the program has a pretty low rating on SoftPedia --- Did you try a number of variations? Did you reboot at least once or twice? There is very little information in your report to go on ... Max_04, thanks for those strings ... sorry i just left out the new strings in v1.20 --- everyone using the English strings was fine. So v1.21 should be good to go ... More info: someone pointed out in a post on annoyances.org that installing the DCOM98 v1.3 update fixed someone's problem accessing WU ... the link looked interesting ... link to v1.21 available from 1st post but here it is anyway: http://soporific.files-upload.com/files/15...U_fix_v1.21.zip

Hi there, There i was mucking about with adding option groups to Folder options, as you do , when i thought it might be neat to try one for easy access to the optimal settings for your internet connection. I thought i had it all sussed out as i got the first part working, but then i hit a snag. I need your help! If you're interested, grab the attachment and install the main reg file (Internet_tweak_options.reg) .. it is easily un-installed with the undo file. Or just have a look inside the reg file i you can follow it ... If you were game enough to install it (use a VM if unsure), go to Internet Options, and the advanced tab, scroll down until you see Connection Settings. This is the section that has been added. You'll see there are two sections: * Server connections * TCP settings Everything in the first section works and everything in the second (ie TCP settings) doesn't. The reason ( i think) is that i'm trying to update a key in the LOCAL_MACHINE section for all the tweaks in the TCP settings section. Each value option has a "RegPath" setting that is supposed to point to the reg key its related to, but it seems you can only point it to keys in CURRENT_USER ... is this correct? Is there another value i can set that points to a LOCAL_MACHINE key? Can we do this another way? I know this is a bit of overkill but i'm interested in the challenge and its nearly ready !! If we can just fix this little thing, then we can all use it... Internet_tweak_options.zip

I tried this - the results were exactly the same as above in point 1) meaning that the file REPORT.TXT was created instead of DEBUG.TXT? No, both files are created when you turn debugging on. Can you not find DEBUG.TXT when you use debugging? This may still help us although i think the problem lies with your system rather than the program (although I plan to include any code that will fix this problem). Are you saying you have specifically configured your OS to use a certain amount of environment space (ES)? Or are you reporting the default ES that Windows allocates... You are correct when you say that it doesn't make sense that you are having ES problems because I DO set the amount of space that I think is required to run the module. You can try adjusting these to see if it helps -- sorry, i didn't create a variable for this so you'll have to do them all manually. The second error message is very likely related to the first one. When you start getting ES messages, this means that variables aren't being set properly and any code that uses the variables not being set will crash. Yep, i'm very sure about this one. It means that the hotfix is trying to install for the second time when it should only need to install once. This makes perfect sense to me. The module installed properly, its just that when you rebooted, the ES problem returned. I will check out those Strings you suggested ... I will also reply again when i've done some investigating ...

Latest info from my experiences: there i was testing out the new version of the WU fix and my first test was to see if i had access. I found that I did. Within 30 seconds, i had frozen myself out somehow ... i was back to getting the Mac message screen ... i thought, Frack !!! I yelled it in fact. Anyway, i also thought it handy that i was just about to test the new fix. SO i loaded the icon and ran it and... drum roll please ... it didn't work. Because i've been at this stage frequently just recently I was able to get access back within the minute but it did involve methodically going through every fix in my bag of tricks. I think there are multiple conditions that send the user to this page -- it's a hard nut to crack so far, but i haven't failed to reach WU since v1.05 came out even thought i've had to reboot once or twice to get there. HINT: throw your logic out the window when trying to deal with this problem. Here's my checklist ... 1) try the icon fix first (fix 3) - it may just look like an innocuous benign little wisp of a fix but there is some logic in this method (ie the hint) as in why should changing the Start in: property make your chances of reaching Windows Update any greater? But we're leaving logic at home this trip remember! So try this first. Those without WUPDMGR.exe on their computers - ie MDGx and all his acolytes - are dealt with humanely (you guys can't use this fix, but don't worry the code sorts it out) 2) If that doesn't work, try fix 1 and rebooting and trying again if it doesn't work. Ah fix 1, the original and still the best. (Not really but that's what i tell it to keep it happy). 3) if it still doesn't work you better pull out the big gun fix - ie fix 2 -- it adds a dash of magic to the process that has worked for me in the past. Only nasty insects and rodents were harmed in the process of making it so don't fret. Use it without rebooting, and then do it with a reboot. If you still can't get access... oh well, there's always 4) dancing proud, f**king safe, and making revolution!! PS - v1.20 out now --- see first post.

yep. 2 or 3 other ports. I turned off my ISP's port blocking as soon as they advised us about the service. But thanks for your reply!

Can you suggest which ones need to be pruned? That would add something concrete to your concerns, 'cause at the moment its abstract ... in fact completely and totally abstract. There's a book you should read --- "The Iron Heel" by Jack London -- that will cure you of speaking in abstraction quick smart. Highly recommended. and just out of interest, what screen resolution are you normally working with? If you're still at 1024 x 768 or below then of course its too many stickies ...

I have begun work on this again ... stay tuned ... if i need reminding about an issue i haven't dealt with, please remind away!

i HAVE A PRESSING NEED (sorry caps lock) to sort out most of the hotfixes for Windows 98se according to localization. i want to release a new version of the unattended boot CD for Win98se and it's going to do more than just install the OS. You can optionally choose to install some hotfixes (i haven't worked out which ones yet) as part of the OS installation - saves you doing it after setup finishes. I only want to do the absolute essentials so the package isn't a 200 MB whopper like Auto-Patcher (AP) is. So the candidate list so far is: * Dialup Networking 1.4 * all the hotfixes from the Stability module in AP * some of the critical hotfixes from both the Critical Security and Critical & Recommended modules in AP. * WMP9 * DX9c (not sure about this) hopefully the total package size won't be much over 30 MB What do people think? So, in preparation for adding localization support, i need to first work out which hotfixes are language dependent and which ones aren't. I suppose my first question has to be: what's the deal with hotfixes and localizations? Are they all language dependent? Can amyone give me the lowdown on what i need to know ... URLs would be nice as well.

Correct! 10 points and a purple flower stamp to you sir. I got this as a PM: What you are reporting is a bug. When you choose to make a report, it should finish searching and present a text file for you to read. It should not terminate unexpectedly. Things you can do: 1) Inside the logs folder you should find a REPORT.TXT file that is created every time you make a report --- please find that file and post the EXACT contents to this thread. Also tell us what options you choose to make the report, and any info you can on when it terminates unexpectedly 2) Turn debugging on. In the Start Menu shortcut folder that is created when you install Auto-Patcher (AP) there is an icon that will turn it on for you. This will greatly help tell us WHERE the problem occurred. Start the report process as normal, then when it terminates, look for the DEBUG.TXT file this is created in the logs directory and post that to this thread. 3) try to only search through the first module - the stability hotfixes module - and see what the result is with that More info: the save folder is where your module choices are stored. The markers folder is where all the files that AP needs to work each session are stored. If you use debugging, this information is stored in the log file. The FoundUpd.txt file is a temporary file that stores the list of updates found and at the very end, the list is copied to the main log file. Since you never make it to the end, this info never makes it to the Report.txt file.

Yes i am available, but first please be more clear about what you are proposing ... i'm still a bit confused ... oh, you are going to send me the localisation stuff, yes, you need to send me the files as well. I hope that's right! AND in other news ... if anyone's interested, i've put together a LITE version of Auto-Patcher for the bandwidth challenged among us ... this version is without any of the bloat: no Net framework baloney, hardly any optional components, only the latest visual basic runtimes, no WMP optional components, etc. All in all, 70 MB was shaved off the original installer size. I could have maybe saved another 20 MB if I got rid of EVERYTHING that wasn't necessary but i was going for efficiency rather than the smallest file size possible. I might do some more pruning, but expect a size close to 150 MB (it's at 170 MB now). Available in a few days ...

The most important information you can provide is any info from your motherboard manual about what OSes it supports. Even though some boards provide support for PATA (IDE) drives it doesn't necessarily mean it will run DOS 7 (Win98) properly. If i am right, somewhere it will say it only supports Windows 2000 and up. If there is no reference at all then it is inconclusive. If it actually says it supports Windows 98se then we can rule this out. For me this is the first question.

First, just be careful using Partition Magic --- sometimes it doesn't flag operations that you SHOULDN'T be doing --- merging or resizing partitions full of data is a good example. If you have a full drive, DO NOT PROCEED. I would use 50% free space as a rough guide even before considering whether to proceed. If you need to move a partition, where its located is what determines how much temporary free space you need to complete the operation properly. This is what partition magic (PM) WILL NOT TELL YOU. ie if its theoretically impossible for you to successfully 'move' a partition with the drives in the state they are in, PM can't determine this. You would think they would, hey. Second, your best bet is to convert the WinXP FAT partiton to NTFS ... this operation can be done in PM. Then when you reboot into Window 98, any delays you can rule out as being caused by our suspicions about the FAT file system. This is a safe operation as far as i know. FAT or FAT32 to NTFS is very easy from a technical point of view. If you want to share files between the two OSes, just create some space on FAT partition, share it, and then map the Network drive so it's an easy to access drive letter (do this within both OSes). Easy.

The package as it exists contains all the updates for Win98se --- the only reason it doesn't work for the other versions of Windows is that their hotfixes haven't been included (although there is lots of overlap) and their data hasn't been included in the modules ... there is no reason why the structure of the program can't be used for the other OSes --- just replace the data inside the modules - different file names and check info, that's it! --- THAT is possible ...

Windows Update Fix for Win9x/Me v1.10 is now out --- completely new method.... see the first post

Nope ... It's actually the Windows Media Player 7.1 installation package. The way the module is setup, the user never sees 7.1 because 9.0 is immediately installed afterwards. But if you compared the installations you'd notice more files are installed when you also install 7.1 --- these are the ones Windows Encoder 7.1 needs or it won't work as intended. So i decided to call it the Legacy files pack as that's what they in fact are.

I got the above message as a PM, i thought i'd add it to the thread ... i'll check into this more info from my experiences: 1) a few times i've thought that the fix doesn't work --- but after trying a number of combinations of installing fixes 1 and 2 and also rebooting, it eventually works. Sometimes i've had to use fix 1, reboot, then use fix 1 again and it finally works. Talk about temperamental! 2) some people are reporting that just changing the shortcut properties of the WU link works for them, i will investigate this further.

I had this happen after the MP9 module today, but I also had this happen once before with an earlier version of AP (different module, I think) without being able to replicate it, so I didn't report it, thinking it was peculiar to my system or a random occurrence. The message you are getting happens when AP has lost control of the OS during a patch session -- by using the switch /Q:A /R:N with most hotfixes, what we are doing is asking the hotfixes, nicely, if they can leave any rebooting up to the user. Unless its an actual bug (still possible), at least one update is rebooting after its finished when its not supposed to. If you can narrow down which ones are doing this and post the result, that would be helpful.

A good side-effect of a 5 day wait to upload this new version is that i went over the program with a fine tooth comb and made little changes here and there. The 20 to 15 second delay after reboot was one of these. Regarding disk activity still going after the DX9 installation, and after thr 15 second delay --- this shouldn't be a problem --- if there was an immediate reboot, maybe, but no module does that - whatever was still loading when AP restarts should be fine. Yes, kb931836 should be back inside its module --- that's why you'll need the release version (looks like i was wrong about only needing the code to upgrade from TEST to release.) -- yep, reporting text should all be good -- i did quite a bit of teaking -- Did Win98-to-Me fail again? Let me know ...