Windows

Lately I started a new sport. After each installation, I hunt and kill all the useless processes that too many applications runs at startup without a good reason. Although Delphi is in the pack too (why does it starts BlackfishSQL without asking?), today I'll examine Corel Paint Shop Pro X3. I've been using PSP since version four or five - and it was a good small program for image editing. Now in the Corel's hands it entered the "bloatware" category fully - and adopted tha bad behaviour to install several processes running all the time without asking the user. The latest setup, fully luser compliant, asks only the destination folder.

After a long time, I've released a new version of the Message Compiler Editor. This release comes with a setup and a help file. Only minor changes has been made to the editor, now comments are written to the message text file, the options dialog is shown before each compilation, and the OutputBase parameter is now supported. Manifest file are not supported - support is planned for version 3.
Message Compiler Editor is available here.

In the past days I hit another DCOM issue: callbacks do not work if "Simple file sharing" is enabled (Settings → Control Panel → Folder Options → View). That's because the full name of that option is "Simple file sharing and ForceGuest". When enabled, Windows will ignore incoming calls credentials and will authenticate everybody as "guests".

While trying to undestand why a Delphi DCOM server was properly instantiated while set up to run as "launching user", but hung when run using "this user", I found out - comparing the setup on a machine where it works and one where it doesn't - that if the server exectable name is longer than eight character the server may get registered with a mix of long and short filenames in the registry.

While trying to install the Virtual Machine Additions in Windows 7 beta running in Virtual PC 2007, I found out that Virtual PC 2007 has two service pack 1 - the older one upgrades it to 6.0.156, the newer one to 6.0.192. If you try to install the VMA that came with the older SP1, at reboot you will be greated by a BSOD telling:
A problem has been detected and Windows has been shutdown to prevent damage to your computer.
Fs_Rec.sys

In the past few days I had many troubles making our application work when the client was installed on a PC outside the application domain. It was due to several Delphi 2007 issues with DCOM.

One of my christmas presents was a Wacom Bonsai pen tablet. It was a bit disappointing to see that the driver installation got blocked in the middle. Downloaded the latest driver from Wacom site, but same result.

I got a Palm Treo Pro Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device, and I had some issues to make it working with the two access points I usually use, a 3Com 3CRGPOE10075 I have at the office, configured with WPA2 Enterprise, and a 3Com 3CRWE454G72 (1.03.12 firmware) at home, using WPA-PSK. Here what I found, maybe it could help someone out there:

Today the Windows Update Service at the office offered me XP SP3 (as a developer, I have the privilege to choose which update to install). I knew about no issue about the tool I use, and decided to install it.

When I rebooted, the quick launch bar and address bar were gone! Ok, let's re-enable them, I thought. The quick launch bar was simply disabled - but the "Address bar" item in the tool bars menu was gone!

I've bought a Logitech STX QuickCam Communicate STX webcam - nothing sophisticated - just needed a simple, good quality webcam to be used in Skype chats.