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jules Professional Member
Joined: 14 Sep 2001 Posts: 1043 Location: Cumbria, UK
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Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 9:13 am Post subject: Problem with VDSPOPUP and XP SP2? |
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I quote below a note I just received from a user of a couple of my utilities:
"There is a problem with the new Windows XP-RC2 build 2149 and getting
Sticky Notes and Calendar to work. It seems that the new ( just released
as a final test last Monday) It causes a 'block' of VDSPOPUP.DLL and
dosen't recognize it, even though it IS residing in Windows/system 32!
I have copied the VDSPOPUP.DLL to basic windows, Windows\system,
etc--alas to no avail.
I have also sent Microsoft a 'problem' note about this particular
fault--so perhaps THEY will adjust their code to take care of it. ?????
Just thought you would like to know the problem--and between BOTH of you
the Sticky Notes and Calendar will work again!
( It works fine on my lap top which just has the regular XP--I have not
installed the XP-RC2 on it yet) ( I'll wait untill they release the final
build for it)"
Have any other users of VDSPOPUP encountered this? _________________ The Tech Pro
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PGWARE Web Host
Joined: 29 Dec 2001 Posts: 1562
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Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Jules,
I don't have a copy of RC-2 to test with but it's working on normal XP. I suspect the themes component I'm using is conflicting with some chanages Windows XP service pack 2 will have. Once XP SP2 comes out I'll be able to test and see what the problem is. I'll contact the author of the component as well. |
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PGWARE Web Host
Joined: 29 Dec 2001 Posts: 1562
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Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 2:27 pm Post subject: update |
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Hello again,
I've uploaded a new version of vdspopup, it basically uses a much newer version of the component. The build I uploaded still has the old version number on it because I don't know if it fixes the issue with SP2 or not yet. Please have your user test this out Jules and see if it works - I would appreciate it.
DOWNLOAD VDSPOPUP UPDATE HERE |
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jules Professional Member
Joined: 14 Sep 2001 Posts: 1043 Location: Cumbria, UK
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I have good news ... and bad news.
The bad news is that the new DLL didn't work either.
The good news is that I had a hunch what the problem was, and I was right, I have found a solution. From the user's description of the problem, it sounded as if the programs weren't even able to load VDSPOPUP. Therefore I doubted there was anything wrong with the DLL itself (which would have been a big concern if it was true, as it VDS itself probably uses the same themes component.)
So, as well as the new DLL, I sent my user one of my programs recompiled to call the DLL with a different name, VDSMNU50. I told the user that if the new DLL didn't work, to rename it to VDSMNU50.DLL and try the new version of the program. This did indeed work.
So it seems as though the level of sophistication of the popup blocking in Windows XP RC2 is to refuse to load any bit of software with "popup" in the name. _________________ The Tech Pro
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FreezingFire Admin Team
Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds very strange to me. Perhaps some behind-the-scenes plot
by Micro$oft? _________________ FreezingFire
VDSWORLD.com
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PGWARE Web Host
Joined: 29 Dec 2001 Posts: 1562
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | So it seems as though the level of sophistication of the popup blocking in Windows XP RC2 is to refuse to load any bit of software with "popup" in the name. |
Omg, MS can't be serious can they?? They call that innovation??? I'll rename the dll officially to someting else to prevent sort of thing from happening. Maybe VDSPOP.DLL , hopefully they will allow that but knowing MS anything with POP will be a prob. |
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FreezingFire Admin Team
Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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Really I think Microsoft is going the wrong direction. They're falling behind
in both quality and innovation.
And this is coming from a longtime supporter. (I've used Windows
since the beginning) _________________ FreezingFire
VDSWORLD.com
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jules Professional Member
Joined: 14 Sep 2001 Posts: 1043 Location: Cumbria, UK
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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I've posted this in a Windows XP beta newsgroup. Hopefully someone from Microsoft will pick it up and do something about it. I don't know if there is a more direct way to inform them.
Although officially renaming VDSPOPUP would be a workaround, I don't really welcome recompiling something like a dozen utilities that all use it, not to mention all the support calls I'll get when people discover the problem, and all the extra download bandwidth after they learn of the solution.
So I really hope that Microsoft can fix the problem from their end, to which aim, the more people who complain about it while SP2 is still a beta, the better. _________________ The Tech Pro
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jules Professional Member
Joined: 14 Sep 2001 Posts: 1043 Location: Cumbria, UK
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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FreezingFire wrote: | Sounds very strange to me. Perhaps some behind-the-scenes plot
by Micro$oft? |
You mean, perhaps they have targeted it because it copies the Office menu look'n'feel, and nothing to do with popups? _________________ The Tech Pro
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PGWARE Web Host
Joined: 29 Dec 2001 Posts: 1562
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Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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It's unlikely MS will really provide a fix for this. I'm a very small developer and much under the radar for Microsoft to even worry about let alone jump to fix an issue like this. It would be nice though if they did fix it as I suspect it will affect MANY utilities which call any type of file with the word popup in it.
It's unlikely MS would block the dll as first it's very very unlikely they even know about it, and I don't think they really care if the dll or component I use simulates the Windows office appearance. Now if I was making millions of dollars of this thing and MS had a competitve products you bet they would put something up like this to shut me down but reality is I'm not making millions off it |
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FreezingFire Admin Team
Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:25 am Post subject: |
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Yeah I dunno, Microsoft has really been letting me down lately.
While I'll still use it as long as it's the most widespread product,
if something else were to be the "big thing" I would probably
switch to that.
I just don't see why such high prices are needed for Microsoft either.
Activation is something that REALLY irritates me also. I find it extremely
useful, and fun too, to install Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 on a computer
these days, and be able to use it as it was meant to be. However, when
Microsoft has advanced into a 5 year period from now or so, I probably
won't be able to use Windows XP installed on a computer in the future,
either because the activations have magically 'expired' or I used up
the activations in the past.
In general, as I've said before, I think Microsoft is really taking the wrong
direction, especially with Windows Longhorn. _________________ FreezingFire
VDSWORLD.com
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jules Professional Member
Joined: 14 Sep 2001 Posts: 1043 Location: Cumbria, UK
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 7:51 am Post subject: |
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I really agree, FF. Microsoft is going down this road because it is influenced by the rich corporations at the bleeding edge of software development, for whom cost isn't an object. For home users its view is biased by the US market where consumers have much more money to spend than we do over here, where people can afford to throw away two year old computers to buy the latest media centers, and upgrade anything that doesn't work on the old system.
They need the high prices because they are a publically quoted company. The boom years of growth in the PC industry are gone (I just saw that Comdex Fall has been cancelled this year) but their shareholders demand profits in line with what went before. And because there is no competition they can get away with it.
I am bitterly disappointed that Linux never made any impact on the desktop computing world. I used to be a great enthusiast for Linux, and even edited a Linux magazine over here for a short while. But now I have nothing but contempt for the Linux community, because they are so inward looking. Despite all the talk about wanting to beat Microsoft, all they actually do is please themselves. _________________ The Tech Pro
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Garrett Moderator Team
Joined: 04 Oct 2001 Posts: 2149 Location: A House
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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Linux lost me when it's size became 10 times larger than any MS system. _________________ 'What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.' - Confucius (550 b.c. to 479 b.c.) |
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vdsalchemist Admin Team
Joined: 23 Oct 2001 Posts: 1448 Location: Florida, USA
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:17 am Post subject: |
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Ok lets not complain about the OS If you don't like it then do something about it like this person did... Check it out http://www.menuetos.org/ Believe it or not it actually works and very good as well. Now if we can get a version of VDS to run on it then we could make a really cool install program for it. I guess for now it is an OS written by a programmer for programmers. You know sort of like Linux used to be. Well at least before all the big companies started making money with it anyway. _________________ Home of
Give VDS a new purpose!
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Tommy Admin Team
Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 746 Location: The Netherlands
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Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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FreezingFire wrote: | I just don't see why such high prices are needed for Microsoft either.
Activation is something that REALLY irritates me also. I find it extremely
useful, and fun too, to install Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 on a computer
these days, and be able to use it as it was meant to be. However, when
Microsoft has advanced into a 5 year period from now or so, I probably
won't be able to use Windows XP installed on a computer in the future,
either because the activations have magically 'expired' or I used up
the activations in the past. |
I do not really agree with this, FreezingFire. At http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/activation_faq.mspx Microsoft states:
Microsoft wrote: | Will Microsoft use activation to force me to upgrade? In other words, will Microsoft ever stop giving out activation codes for any of the products that require activation?
No, Microsoft will not use activation as a tool to force people to upgrade. Activation is merely an anti-piracy tool, nothing else.
Microsoft will also support the activation of Windows XP throughout its life and will likely provide an update that turns activation off at the end of the product's lifecycle so users would no longer be required to activate the product. |
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