That sounds all really good.

By accident I recently found one more possible bug, which is not related to any new function: despite having set Notepad2 to be my standard editor for text files in Windows, text files are always opened in Windows Notepad when opened from the data viewer, although "Use default editor for this file type" is activated in the Text editor setup.

This is not really a problem since one can always select another text editor manually. But since most likely this is not the the way it was meant to work, I just wanted to let you know.

I didn't see the answer to my question upon perusal of this thread, but since I'm not terribly computer literate, I couldn't follow half of the conversation. My mom ordered The Oregon Trail Classic Edition and asked me to put it on her computer, which has Windows 7 x64 (I think; I know it's Windows 7, anyway). I did a bit of research, tried DOSBox (which since, as I said, I'm computer illiterate, I couldn't get to work), and then found D-Fend Reloadable. I absolutely LOVE it, since it made it so much easier and simpler to get the CDROM to install on her PC. The problem I'm having is this: The game starts up fine, and I can usually get through the introductory stage, but when I travel for a little while (sometimes a few minutes RT, sometimes up to an hour), the game freezes and the cursor disappears. I have the settings so that when I hit the CTRL key, the cursor lets off ripples so I can find it, and when the game is frozen at full screen, the cursor ripples are in the very center of the screen and stay there, no matter how much I move the mouse around. I can get my cursor back by hitting ALT + ENTER to window the game, but if I click anywhere on the game window except the close button, it freezes up again, and my cursor disappears again. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Thank you very much,

Meg

Hi, ...

I use = D-Fend Reloaded, "v1.2b1", Portable structure.

@Alexander

15 ) See file attached, ...

I will try to be clear, ...

Each "Profile FileName" is unique, instead of "Profile Name" that can be used severals number of times. Then, if you whant to erase one profile or severals profiles of a game, then it must be made an option, to erase profiles with "Profile FileName" of a game. But, when you whant to uninstall a game, that have severals profiles, it really must be used with "Profile Name".

In example in the file attached, there is a game that is displayed 2 times, but not have the same "Profile FileName", then if it press "Ok button", then all profiles of the same name will be erased.

Hi, ...

Dosbox and missing "MSVCR100.dll" error.

I managed to fix missing "MSVCR100.dll" error, by installing the 2010 C++ Visual Studio redistributable x86.

It also do that inside D-Fend Reloaded, when starting dosbox. "but it close dosbox in 1 seconds after try to load a game, without display the missing "MSVCR100.dll" error message".

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=5555

@dosmax:
I cannot reproduce this yet. I'm using Notepad++ as default editor for *.txt files and also the "Use default editor for this file type" function. When double clicking a txt file from the data viewer D-Fend Reloaded is doing this:

1. It's reading the value of the default key in the registry for "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt".
On my system this is "Notepad++_file". (For 2+3 we will assume, "Notepad++_file" is the default editor.)
2. It's reading the value of the default key from "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Notepad++_file\shell\edit\command".
3. If "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Notepad++_file\shell\edit\command" does not exist, it's trying to get the editor for text files from "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Notepad++_file\shell\open\command".
4. The following directory names are automatically translated to real folder names if found in the path name to the editor: %SYSTEMROOT%, %WINDIR%, %SYSTEMDRIVE%, %SYSTEMDIRECTORY%, %PROGRAMFILES% and all path name abbreviations listed in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment".

Please check, if this registry settings are correct on your system. (Attention: D-Fend Reloaded may fails to read the registry keys listed above if they are opened in regedit at the same time. It looks like regedit locks keys while displaying them.)

@Jeweler_Meg:
If a game freezes in DOSBox after running a while, this is a DOSBox problem or a bug in the game. You can look up in the DOSBox compatibility data base if there are known problems with a game.

@sst:
D-Fend Reloaded will display both, the profile name and the profile file name now.

I think I have an explanation then.

It looks like there is an alternative way of registering filetypes which is used by Notepad2. Maybe this is new to Windows7, I don't know.

Traditionally HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is the merged display of HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Classes and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes, where settings in HCCU superseed those in HKLM. Things are then handled like you describe, a suffix key (ie .txt) points to a filetype key (ie text_file) and there you find shell/open etc.

All this is still true and in my case points to Windows Notepad. So D-Fend is seemingly correctly assuming that Windows Notepad is the default editor for text files when it reads file type asscociations the way you describe.

Still in Explorer Notepad2 is used. Strange...

After poking around in the registry I found something I didn't know before: under HKCU/Software/Classes/Applications there is a key called Notepad2.exe and under that some subkeys with the usual shell stuff. So obviously Explorer uses this key.

Now all that was missing was a link between .txt files and this HKCU/Software/Classes/Applications/Notepad2.exe key.

This link, I think, I found under HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/FileExts. There you find a list of filetype suffixes similar to the one in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Under ".txt" are some subkeys with all applications that are capable of opening txt files and an MRU (most recently used) subkey that might be the one that determines the actual application Explorer uses to open the filetype.

I'm not sure, whether I describe the mechanism to its full extend here and unfortunately I couldn't find any MSDN page or similar describing it. But I haven't searched very long, so maybe you have more luck.

One thing though seems clear: This method seems to 'overrule' the 'normal' file type associations that you read from HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

Edit: Here you find some more information (in German): http://www.wintotal.de/tipparchiv/?rb=3010&id=1622 , although this is not exactly the same.

Edit2: I think the method described here is used by Explorer when one changes filetype associations via the context menu ("Open with...") of a file. In this case the traditional HKCR settings stay the same, but settings in .../FileExts are changed.

I think, I figured it out. Under the suffix key in FileExts Explorer creates an subkey called "UserChoice", when the default app is changed via the context menu of a file.

That one directly links the filetype to HKCU/Software/Classes/Applications/Application.exe

See screenshot.

I have improved the way the program associated with a file type will be read from the registry. D-Fend Reloaded now will try this ways in this order:

1. Open path HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.txt\UserChoise and read value of "Progid" as application name. (Application name is typical something like "Applications\NotepadAppName.exe".) Open HKCR\<application name> and read path of editor from there.

2. Open path HKCR\.txt and read default string. Open HKCR\<default string> and read path of editor from there.

3. Open HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.txt\OpenWithProgids and read list of value names from there. If there is an entry other than "txtfile" use this as application name. Otherwise use "txtfile". Open HKCR\<application name> and read path of editor from there.

"read path of editor from there" means: Look for a subkey \shell\edit\command and read application path name, file name and parameters from there. If \shell\edit\command does not exist, try \shell\open\command.

(Steps 1-3 will not only be used when opening txt file, but also for other files; the "txt" in ".txt" and "txtfile" will just be replaced with the other extension.)

Hey Alexander,
I was wondering, is there any chance you might add a seperate section for box-art? Also, maybe a section for passwords and/or cheat codes?

Alexander wrote:

I have improved the way the program associated with a file type will be read from the registry.

Sounds like all possible variants are covered. Im not sure whether the third will ever be needed, but one can never enough backups. 😉

@Alexander
Thank you so much for your reply. I looked up my game on the compatibilty site you listed, and I know what version will work, so do I just download the version of DOSBox that is compatible with my game? Will D-Fend just accept that version and allow it, or do I have to do some kind of computer voodoo to overwrite or something? Please, if you can, take me through this step-by-step, in words you would use for a child. I'm not stupid, and I catch on fairly quickly, but I'm not up on my computer terminology, so please, just assume I have no clue what you're talking about. 😅 Thank you SOOOO much! 😁

@Assi1987:
I cannot make separate sections for everything. You can store box-arts in the screenshots section or in the data section. Passwords, cheat codes etc. can be stored in the data section, too.

@Jeweler_Meg:
You can setup the DOSBox installation or the DOSBox installations to be used in the setup dialog (menu: File -> Program options). On the setup dialog page External program -> DOSBox you can specify the path to the DOSBox installation to be used when clicking on a profile. (You can even setup multiple DOSBox installations here and then select in the profile editor for each profile which installation to use.)

I have just uploaded D-Fend Reloaded 1.2 beta 2 to the usual beta versions page. Mails to the translator will follow later this day.

HI, ...
Bonjour, ...

V1.2 "French" and "French Canada" translation.
Traduction V1.2 "Français" et "Français Canada".

Hi, ...

I use = D-Fend Reloaded, "v1.2b2", Portable structure.

@Alexander

(V1.2b2 Fix the bug) of "Modify Multiple-Profiles VideoRam option". = Thanks 😁

No bug to report, ...

@Alexander
OK, I figured out how to download the version that is compatible with my game, and I even got to the program options page that lets you fuss with program settings for DOSBox. When I put the DOSBox folder name of the compatible version in, I get a warning that D-Fend can't function with the DOSBox version that works with my game. Am I doing something wrong? On the wrong page or followed the wrong link, perhaps? Or will D-Fend simply not work with my game, because I downloaded the newest version that would support Oregon Trail Classic Edition, and D-Fend is saying it won't function.... Again, thank you so much for all your help. 😀

@sst:
Thank you very much for updating your translation files.

@Jeweler_Meg:
D-Fend Reloaded will warn you, if you are trying to use it with DOSBox 0.72 and below. Only 0.73 and 0.74 are tested, but older versions should also work.

Or will D-Fend simply not work with my game

D-Fend Reloaded is just a frontend for DOSBox, so DFR itself is not supporting or not supporting any games. So find the right DOSBox version for your game, install it, set it up in DFR, create a profile for your game and enter the right settings needed for the game.

I just did some tests, concentrating on the features I had requested, and couldn't find any more bugs, so to me this looks pretty much like a release candidate.

The only thing I don't really like that much is, that the non-modal image viewer stays always on top of the main window. But that's nitpicking and most likely a matter of personal taste. So I won't complain if you don't change that. 😀

Thanks!

@Alexander
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🤣 I did what you said, and it seems to be working fine now. 😀 Is there any particular reason the color in the game would be off every now and again? I was plodding along, making sure it would work, and the blue sort of took the screen over completely... 😁 😁 😁

@Alexander
OK, so Happy Dance is canceled, unfortunately. Mom was playing it, and within five minutes (running on DOSBox v.72) the blue pigment swamped the screen, the cursor disappeared, and to all observations the game froze. What did I do wrong? 😢