Microsoft dropped support for the old WinHelp (*.hlp) file format in Windows 7 (or was it in Vista?). They provided a download that added the missing WinHlp32.exe (and probably quite a few other files) back so we could display .hlp files again. Today I had the need to do that on Windows 8.1. Unfortunately I … Continue reading WinHlp32 for Windows 8.1
Category: Windows
Creating animated GIFs from screenshots
I have posted two animated GIFs lately to show features of GExperts or the popup menu entry for Windows Defender. These GIFs were created using ScreenToGif which is an open source tool written by Nike S. Manarin. One feature of it that I particularly like is that it is a "Portable App", that is, it … Continue reading Creating animated GIFs from screenshots
Add a “Scan with Windows Defender” context menu to any folder or file
Windows Defender is the virus scan tool that is included with Windows 8 and later. While it provides basic security it does not have any of the convenience functions that other virus scanners have. In particular I miss a context menu option to scan a file or folder. So I turned to Google and found … Continue reading Add a “Scan with Windows Defender” context menu to any folder or file
How to disable update checking in TortoiseSVN?
The latest 1.9.x versions of TortoiseSVN no longer support Windows XP (1.8.12 was the last one that did). Since some of the computers I work with are stuck with XP there isn't much sense in having it check for updates automatically. Older versions of TortoiseSVN used to have a check box on the settings "General" … Continue reading How to disable update checking in TortoiseSVN?
Batch wizardry: Finding a subdir in all parent dirs
As an addition to Using my buildtools here is a batch subroutine to find a subdirectory in any of the parent directories of a script: :FindInParents @rem search all parent directories for a subdir and return @rem the full path to that directory in %result% setlocal set parentdir=%1% set subdir=%2% :loop call :GetDir %parentdir% set … Continue reading Batch wizardry: Finding a subdir in all parent dirs
Running SyncThing as a Windows service
Yesterday I blogged about SyncThing as an alternative to BitTorrentSync. Today a business partner asked me whether it is possible to run SyncThing as a service. The answer is definitely yes, but it requires an additional tool. As per this StackOverflow answer you can use NSSM - the Non-Sucking Service Manager to create a service … Continue reading Running SyncThing as a Windows service
SyncThing as an alternative to BitTorrentSync (btsync)
A while ago I blogged about using BitTorrentSync as a privacy conscious alternative to the more popular cloud services like Google Drive or DropBox. BitTorrent recently released btsync version 2 which, apart from trying to sell you a so called PRO version, changed the user interface yet again and also changed the way you set … Continue reading SyncThing as an alternative to BitTorrentSync (btsync)
Windows annoyance number 3 gazillion and 4
We all know, that Microsoft software is great and that they are constantly striving to improve the user experience (best example: Windows 8 (Yes, that's sarcasm)). Windows 7, the best Windows of all times, has a great feature which is an improvement of the universally loved desktop cleanup we know from Windows XP. It regularly helps … Continue reading Windows annoyance number 3 gazillion and 4
Showing all parameters passed to a batch file
Sometimes you just want to know how a program gets called by another program or by Windows. In that case this little batch file might come in handy: @echo off rem This batch file shows its full filename and its parameters echo cmd file: %~dpnx0 echo Parameters: for %%I IN (%*) DO ECHO %%I pause … Continue reading Showing all parameters passed to a batch file
Avira Antivirus E-Mail “security”
The current Avira Antivirus has got a module it calls "Internet security" which in turn has an option for e-mail security. What it does is capturing all connections to POP3, IMAP and SMTP servers and scanning them for viruses. That sounds good until you find, that your e-mail client stopped working even though you haven't … Continue reading Avira Antivirus E-Mail “security”