[submix8c]

WOOHOO! New Website... lookin' good!

Downloaded RC from it and will test first opportunity.

edit - and still awesome download speed...

This post has been edited by submix8c: 23 January 2008 - 10:56 AM

[soporific]

submix8c, on Jan 24 2008, 03:54 AM, said:

WOOHOO! New Website... lookin' good!

Downloaded RC from it and will test first opportunity.

edit - and still awesome download speed...

how fast did it come down, what speeds were you getting? I never get to test this out, i can't justify wasting so much bandwidth!

BIG NEWS:
I've added a cool new little feature: an installation counter for your module choices. This will make it much easier to avoid being paranoid that you have the right choices selected. It does add a few seconds to navigation around the module choices, but the benefits vastly outweigh the small hit in performance.

If you're keen to try it out, download the attachment, and overwrite (back up the old one first!) the one in your program directory (in the CODE folder). It only works with the December 2007 release. I really got a kick out of using it, i hope you do too.

Attached File(s)

•  New_AutoPach.bat_for_AP_Dec_07.zip (20.6K)
  Number of downloads: 11

This post has been edited by soporific: 23 January 2008 - 11:36 AM

[Drugwash]

@ niknak: the setting referred to by soporific is usually called 'AGP aperture size'. If you have an AWARD BIOS, you may try to press CTRL + F1 once in the main BIOS screen - it offers advanced options. However, the aforementioned option should be a standard one, so chances to find it using that trick are slim. Worth trying, though.

@ soporific: a few months ago, I was banging my head on the walls because Yahoo Messenger 8.x was crashing while trying to listen to voice messages. After uninstalling a sh!tload of applications, I found the culprit as being MSXML 4.0. Dunno which version it was, as I've been performing bulk uninstalls at the time, trying to fix the issue. I was just thinking if anyone could test the current MSXML version included with Auto-Patcher against Y!M 8.0 and/or Y!M 8.1.



On another note: any news on the GUI?

[submix8c]

Quote

how fast did it come down, what speeds were you getting?

Using FlashGet (6-part "split", ie. #of-connections) shows ~600kbs (however that figures...). Basically, just a few minutes (up to 10 maybe?).

[pixturesk]

Hi Soporific. I just put this question on your "good Soporific" website as well.

You were of great help with my installation of AP August 2007 Full + the September 2007 update, as well as RP7.11. As you may recall, I am the non computer generation, non techie guy to whom you gave much valuable counsel. When you release AP December 2007 Final, can I just install it over my “above” current installations? Will it have any problematic effect on RP7.11? Or, since everything is functioning exceptionally well, shall I just be content with what I currently have, forgetting about AP December 2007 Final + future updates? Thanks, all the best, Ken.

[soporific]

pixturesk, on Jan 24 2008, 10:39 AM, said:

Hi Soporific. I just put this question on your "good Soporific" website as well.

You were of great help with my installation of AP August 2007 Full + the September 2007 update, as well as RP7.11. As you may recall, I am the non computer generation, non techie guy to whom you gave much valuable counsel. When you release AP December 2007 Final, can I just install it over my “above” current installations? Will it have any problematic effect on RP7.11? Or, since everything is functioning exceptionally well, shall I just be content with what I currently have, forgetting about AP December 2007 Final + future updates? Thanks, all the best, Ken.

Hi Ken, thanks for your kind words. I recommend downloading the December 2007 release. You can safely install it over any previous release of AP, you don't have to uninstall first. I have created new 'groups' to use within the modules section, for you, i recommend using the 'Essential' group to select the titles to install. To select 'Essential' choose D in the modules section. You will see what i mean when you install the Dec 2007 release.

An UPGRADE version is just being finalised now, it should be available within 4 hours. Stay tuned ... size at present is 80 MB which is a **** site better than having to download 288 MB. You will need to have October installed though. I will make one for those who only have the August release as well, that will be tomorrow though.

Can anyone who tries out the new AUTOPACH.BAT with the install counter please give feedback on it ASAP? Is it worthy of inclusion? Let me know!

[billygoat]

RetroOS, on Jan 23 2008, 03:40 AM, said:

billygoat, there are both the official and the unofficial VB 6 updates.
If they were both selected in August AP, then the files will be at the unofficial versions.
When you run the October AP, the official update says that the msvbvm60.dll file is newer.

Thanks! Whoops, I never noticed the Unofficial VB updates! Guess I just used my earlier (default) choices for that module without noticing the 'Unofficial' part.

Quote

You will get the same newer file message for some others as well.

First time I've seen it, and just with these two.

[soporific]

Jan 25:
* December 2007 release candidate 2 is now available. Everyone is recommended to upgrade to the new version.

December 2007 RC1 to December 2007 RC2 (UPGRADE):
download link
Size: 1.3 MB
MD5: 7047D52532DE80FA3CD41BA0B1D6D1EE

October 2007 to December 2007 RC2 (UPGRADE):
download link
Size: 84 MB
MD5: 0B8FE05833F394E7B1094DD8B221563D

[RetroOS]

Hi soporific,
I like the install counter and I think it should be included!
I've installed the Dec 2007 RC1. Have not installed RC2 yet...
Mostly went okay.
There were some issues though...

- InfraRecorder update section gave an 'access denied' error when trying to remove the old version.

- The Twain update looped - probably because I already have the updated files...

- The 48BitLBA update looped - I had previous 48bit 4.10.0.2225 installed. I uninstalled so the new 4.10.0.2230 version would install.

- The SYSTEM.ini tweaks menu option gave me an 'out of environment space' error and went back to the main menu.
When I freed up some environment space to work around the error, it correctly detected my RAM as 1.5GB, but used the wrong formula to calculate.
It set MaxFileCache to 262144 which would have killed Windows! - my current (maximum) setting is 114688.
Probably because of this the Chunksize was set as 2048. I use 1024.
When I selected current SYSTEM.INI settings, the Chunksize, MinFileCache, and MaxFileCache did not match my current settings...

- There is something wrong with the Visual Basic menu... There is no official VB6 entry and yet I get this in the log (as mentioned by billygoat):
21:31:44 -- superceeded: -- VBRUN600 (Official Visual Basic 6.0 sp6 Runtime Files)
File: C:\WINDOWS\system\msvbvm60.dll
Current: 6.0.97.98
Attempted: 6.0.97.82

...And now for the BIG one...
BROWSEUI.DLL 6.0.2800.1915 from kb942615 kills my Windows Explorer (failure in EXPLORER.EXE).
The Desktop comes up okay, but anytime I try to open a browse window, it dies...
Now, the catch is that I have EXPLORER.EXE 5.50.4134.100 from Revolutions Pack 7.11.
I expect that the same thing would happen using 98SE2ME with the Me Explorer option installed.
It may or may not work with 98SE EXPLORER.EXE...
I have had to back-date BROWSEUI.DLL to 6.0.2800.1914 from kb939653.

This post has been edited by RetroOS: 25 January 2008 - 04:22 AM

[joe tweaker]

I've been away awhile, but keeping up with changes via email subscription to this topic.
One thing I've had on my mind... back in the days before AutoPatcher, Gape's unofficial
service pack for 98SE had something called a "windows 2000 color scheme" which was more
pleasant than the default (gray) colors I've had since switching to UBCD and AutoPatcher.
That color scheme was one of the few things Gape's service pack included that AP does not.
Is it possible to add that "win 2000 color scheme" to AutoPatcher as an optional module?
(It seems like overkill to reinstall Gape's pack AFTER running AP or UBCD - just to get that
color scheme. It should be an OPTION in AP, so we don't have to run Gape's AFTER AP.)
I am soo sick of this default gray scheme that 98SE comes with.... Joe

[niknak]

Drugwash - Thanks for that tip for the Award bios, I always thought the bios had a lack of settings. I have found the AGP aperture size setting now.

Soporific - Setting the AGP aperture size to 4MB (lowest setting). This made no difference to the problem.

[RetroOS]

joe tweaker, on Jan 26 2008, 01:48 AM, said:

...back in the days before AutoPatcher, Gape's unofficial
service pack for 98SE had something called a "windows 2000 color scheme" which was more
pleasant than the default (gray) colors I've had since switching to UBCD and AutoPatcher.
...
It should be an OPTION in AP, so we don't have to run Gape's AFTER AP.
...

I totally agree with joe tweaker!
I had Gape's original USP 2.1a installed before I started using AP.
I have the Windows 2000 scheme at the moment. Much nicer.

So, sop, there's another thing to add to AP - Windows 2000 Appearance Scheme as used in Gape's original USP 2.1a.

BTW, have you looked at ASPI Layer 4.71.2?
Have a look: http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/speed/softwar...i_471a2_exe.htm
You can expand the compressed files (.??_) with the Microsoft EXPAND.EXE utility that comes with Windows 2000.
It also comes with Windows XP but will not work in 9x. Obviously you can expand the files in XP.
You will need to rename to add the last character of the extention.

Windows 95-98-98SE-Me - Let the Good Times roll.

This post has been edited by RetroOS: 27 January 2008 - 06:15 PM

[Eck]

Heh heh. We've been through the ASPI conversation. Almost no one wants the newer versions. When they work it's a miracle. The one in Auto-Patcher improves upon what comes by default with Windows and works all the time. The newer ones do nothing helpful and often just break things.

You do know that you can just move the color slider and get the Windows 2000 scheme? Same with playing with the title bars in there. The icons are from Gape's older Explorer.exe update, but you can also download a Windows Me theme from various places and get those as well.

I updated from October Full to the update November SP2 version of Auto-Patcher with not an issue. I did find that some kind of MS-DOS run thing was TSR'd for a couple of reboots afterwards, but it finally went away. I am ashamed to say my memory has totally failed me, I didn't write the name of it down, and I can't remember its name. But it showed up in the Close Program box along with winoldap and would require Windows to End Task it before shutting down.

Also, the My Computer was having a problem refreshing so right clicking it would show the desktop options instead of the My Computer options and double clicking My Computer would bring up its Properties instead of opening My Computer. A couple more restarts and that's gone (for now).

Things are just so darned slow on Virtualbox with 98SE that I'm afraid I didn't have the patience to run it for too much time after doing the Auto-Patcher upgrade, but those are the things that happened. The slowness is mostly things that access the web, and not thankfully the few programs I need to run in 98SE, but since I browse around a lot it is frustrating using 98SE virtualized. VMWare used to work tons better for me in that regard than Virtualbox does. Of course, I'm sure if I put XP on it things would be different. But that would do nothing for me as the programs I use in 98SE got broken by XP SP2, and that's why I want to virtualize 98SE.

Sorry, the last paragraph was just me whining.

[soporific]

joe tweaker, on Jan 25 2008, 11:48 PM, said:

I am soo sick of this default gray scheme that 98SE comes with.... Joe

The short answer is, go grab the latest tweaks pack, by a happy accident, it contains exactly what you are after. I will add it to the next release.

[RetroOS]

Eck, on Jan 27 2008, 05:23 PM, said:

Heh heh. We've been through the ASPI conversation. Almost no one wants the newer versions. When they work it's a miracle. The one in Auto-Patcher improves upon what comes by default with Windows and works all the time. The newer ones do nothing helpful and often just break things.
...

Hey Eck, now you mention it, I recall some years ago when I installed ASPI 4.7x, that it broke my tape backup...
The current improved 4.6 works just dandy!

Sop, have you had a chance to look at the Dec 2007 AP problems I've had?
My post: http://www.msfn.org/board/Auto-Patcher-Win...051#entry732051
The most critical being the BROWSEUI.DLL and Windows Me EXPLORER.EXE breaking!

AP Dec 2007 currently will break Windows Explorer for anyone that has RP and/or 98SE2ME option 3 installed (or any other reason for using EXPLORER.EXE 5.5)!!!

Has anyone else had the Explorer problem with RP or 98SE2ME option 3 installed?

[Eck]

I think that's caused by the installation of EXPLORE98, the MDGx package of the latest combined explorer.exe security patches and improvements, along with the nice Windows Me style icon.

That's not supposed to be installed if the Revolution Pack is used, and a warning is given about that in the EXPLORE98 documentation. I'm not aware what switch to toggle off in Auto-Patcher to stop its installation, but if it isn't one of the user toggle modules it certainly should be.

Even if a new version comes out of EXPLORE98, the old version must be uninstalled first and the system restarted, and the system must also be restarted immediately after its installation as well.

If not, we get a destruction of Windows! That dog won't boot!

Some measure must be added to check both if the Revolution Pack or Option 3 of 98SE2ME is installed, as well as to make sure that if a newer version of EXPLORE98 is in Auto-Patcher the program runs the uninstaller for it and restarts first (which would restore the original Windows 98SE explorer.exe), before running the installation of the latest Explore98 release. And then the system must be restarted immediately after EXPLORE98 is installed by Auto-Patcher as well.

Not sure how you can manage that, but something like that needs to be done. It is the best solution for users not using Revolution Pack or Option 3 of 98SE2ME (most users I would think), but care must be taken with it. The detection of an older version and one of those other optional explorer.exe versions (5.5 I think) is vital, and skipping it for the optional versions and the uninstallation before upgrading it is also vital.

Perhaps a user interaction page of Auto-Patcher for that module can be mandatory. If the user answers that he doesn't use or intend to use Option 3 of 98SE2ME or Revolution Pack then EXPLORE98 is automatically installed. If an older version of EXPLORE98 is detected, then the uninstaller for it is run and the system is then rebooted before running the EXPLORE98 module. And then it is rebooted again following its installation.

When I ran the new version of Auto-Patcher, it detected that the same version of EXPLORE98 was installed and so skipped its installation, which I was happy to see. It had been installed by my run of the October Auto-Patcher.

When I use 98SE2ME I use Option 2 and so did not experience this problem as I also do not use the Revolution Pack.

[RetroOS]

Eck, on Jan 28 2008, 03:58 PM, said:

I think that's caused by the installation of EXPLORE98, the MDGx package of the latest combined explorer.exe security patches and improvements, along with the nice Windows Me style icon.
...
When I ran the new version of Auto-Patcher, it detected that the same version of EXPLORE98 was installed and so skipped its installation, which I was happy to see. It had been installed by my run of the October Auto-Patcher.
...

Hi Eck,
With RP installed, AP always skips installing EXPLORE98 update because the existing file is newer.
So, It has never back-dated EXPLORER.EXE.
My guess is that if someone installed the latest Unofficial Cumulative Update for IE6SP1 (kb942615) with the newer BROWSEUI.DLL onto Windows Me, it would do the same thing to Windows Explorer since it is the same file used in RP and 98SE2ME Option 3.
Of course, this version is also dependent on SHELL32.DLL, USER32.DLL, USER.EXE, (and some others as well) from Windows Me.
If any of these files are not from the same version set (98SE, Me etc)... Then BOOM BABY, Windows dies!
I had that problem when the Unofficial Q891711 update was back-dating USER32.DLL and USER.EXE before the installer was fixed.

I've been through all the possibilities, and it just plain appears that the latest BROWSEUI.DLL file is not compatible with Windows Me EXPLORER.EXE and therefore with Revolutions Pack, 98SE2ME Option 3, and anything else that uses Windows Me Explorer.
When I back-date the file to the previous release, everything works again.

[soporific]

Please keep the discussion going, i am taking note of it all ... RetroOS, i will answer your queries in the next few days, i'm not so productive on the weekend -- i will post a list of issues soon, everyone please ensure it is correct when you see it.

This post has been edited by soporific: 28 January 2008 - 01:32 AM

[thydreamwalker]

Hey...the only problems lately as have been adjustin system , DCOM 98 1.3 is on thy system in c:\windows \system ;yet Auto-patcher rc2 does not recogize as so......,this is wierd i ran A.P.Oct.07 and all was fine....hmmmmmmmm(loops once then skips and moves on to next updates thydreamwalker

[willperk]

System: freshly loaded win98se ..... 4.10.2222 A; IE 5.00.2614.3500; have not yet installed any email;
have installed AVG .......... avg75free_516a1225; the Boot Scanner is a nuisance ..... needs easy way to disable.

I am trying to print Auto-Patcher Module Contents - December 2007 from this webpage: http://soporific.dsl...ds/modules.html
My printer is an Epson ESCP2 Action Printer 5000 and the paper is tractor feed type.
For some reason, the printout skips every 2nd page ....... i.e., it prints on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc, page of paper.

Never mind ...... the default settings of 'Page Setup' was the problem. Sorry for bother ......
-- willperk

This post has been edited by willperk: 29 January 2008 - 02:59 PM