Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with software and windows

How do I run a single Mac application on a Windows machine?

Unhyper — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:53:33 -0800

How do I run a single Mac application on a Windows machine? Is there any way to run a single Mac application on a Windows platform without some kind of Hackintosh setup? There is an application (Scrivener) that only exists for Mac, and its Windows counterparts are just substandard in comparison. Is there a virtual machine solution that can be used?

Looking for good system monitoring / task scheduling software

Nothing — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:09:28 -0800

Looking for good system monitoring / task scheduling software to run on Windows for server monitoring as well as running custom scripts for keeping track application specific metrics. Right now I am using a hand-rolled solution which runs scripts and updates logs / sends emails on output. It's nice because it is easy to add new custom tasks and metrics, but I am looking to migrate the functionality into something a little more robust, possibly with the ability to keep track of tasks running on multiple machines, etc.

A start menu for Windows 7 where I type "i" for Internet and "f" for Firefox to open that browser?

oxit — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:12:54 -0800

A start menu for Windows 7 where I type i for Internet and f for Firefox to open that browser? Prior to Windows 7 I was using the classic Windows start menu to access most of my software by pressing only three keys on the keyboard:

1. the Windows key, then
2. a key for the folder, e.g. (I)nternet, or (O)ffice, then
3. a key for the application, e.g. (F)irefox or (I)nternet Explorer.

Typing a part of the name in Windows 7's start menu is a lot slower, more cumbersome and error-prone.

Is there a solution to have this in Windows 7? There are many start menu replacements out there, but none I've seen does this. Can you help?

Back to the basics

jfricke — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:36:15 -0800

I really like the idea of text-based programs like WriteRoom (Mac) or DarkRoom (Windows). Are there similar applications for other purposes? I am looking for any software that is more or less text-based, is not a game and runs with Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. Examples would be a text based email-client, text based to-do list or a text based diary.

WIN XP Directory Tree Software help?

dorgla — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:13:54 -0800

Need software which enables saving my Windows XP file directory tree and shows subfolders as a .gif, .jpg or .bmp. Google found some software which saves it as a text file, but I want the visuals of the actual folders in the tree structure.

Webcam recording softwrae

gocubbies — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:36:47 -0800

I need to record myself giving a presentation for school. My laptop has a built in webcam and microphone. What free Windows software would you recommend for this task?

Suggestions for alternate scanning programs?

tdreyer — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:38:02 -0800

Looking for a scanner program that will allow me to set a custom size to scan and remember it for multiple scans. I'm on Windows 7 and I'm attempting to scan in a very large number of documents (600+) that are sub-letter size (8.5"x11"). I've found the the integrated scanning program that comes with win7 is a little inadequate.

Mainly I'm looking for a scanning program that is free and will allow me to set a custom size and remember it for multiple scans (ie. 6.5"x9.25")

CD manufacturer identification on the Mac?

ignignokt — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:18:38 -0800

Is there a Mac equivalent to CDR Media Code Identifier. This could be run in Parallels, but I'm not sure it'll be able to get what it needs out of the DVD drive. And of course, it'd be nice to not have to run Parallels.

What do I not need on Windows 7 Ultimate?

mr_silver — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:52:21 -0800

I'm moving from XP to Windows 7 Ultimate. What, that I used to have on XP, do I not need installed any more? I know that defragmentation software isn't needed, but what about Unlocker? What about disk backup software? Anything else?

Video Editing Software for Travel Videos

mary8nne — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:42:13 -0800

Can anyone suggest a simple Non-Linear Video Editing Software for Windows XP? One that can accept and output variety of Formats. For editing together Videos (MJPG) taken on a Canon Digital photo Camera. I've been messing around recording a few travel videos on my Canon Isus Camera which seems to take 640x480 MJPG Video (30fps). I thought it might be fun to Edit some together and add music tracks to them (and remove the current sound track where is it just wind noise).

Its not really a serious endeavour so looking for cheap / freeware editing apps for Win XP.

I've tried Windows Movie Maker but it will only allow export as DV (huge files) or this .wmv (WMV9 proprietrary format?) and is a bit chunky - but I did like the graphic time-line you get with WMM compared to the editing in the dark of AVIdemux.

Help me rescue a .QIC backup file?

Prevailing Southwest — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:00:18 -0800

IT Filter: Anyone know of a resource or protocol for opening .QIC files (Old Windows backup file format) short of finding a machine with Windows 95/98 on it? Had a laptop stolen and this is the only format in which I still have ALL of my writing from college/grad school. Any help is appreciated (please no lectures on backing up files... have learned my lesson.)

Is Corel Draw 8 for Windows still gettable?

n3rt — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:32:22 -0800

Is it still possible to get hold of Corel Draw 8 for Windows? Abandonware? My friend's father has just purchased a new PC, and utterly adores Corel Draw 8. Unfortunately, the vagaries of time have misplaced his original CD8 media and he's not to be tempted by newer versions or alternatives. He knows how it works and likes it. Lots.

Asking Corel has fallen on utterly deaf ears: so is it possible to still get hold of this? Is it abandonware? [Doubtful knowing Corel]. I've found version 5 supposedly as a/ware, but he doesn't like that either. :)

Any help utterly appreciated.

Help me find a long lost app!

flyingcowofdoom — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:08:15 -0800

Help me find a windows application that monitors processes CPU usage and adjusts their priority accordingly. I used to have a utility installed that would sit in the tray and monitor all of the running processes' CPU usage. If a process' CPU usage spiked, it would automatically adjust that process' priorty down. I have since reformatted my PC and I lost the installer for this utility. For the life of me I cannot find it! ISTR that it was called ProcessMinder or ProcessMaster or something like that but I cannot find it! I do remember that the tray icon was a little black scale, like the scales of justice. Has anyone else used this program? TIA!

Alternatives to the program Synergy (keyboard and mouse over network)?

wastelands — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:15:24 -0800

Alternatives to the program Synergy (keyboard and mouse over network)? When I first got Synergy, I loved it. It was like magic.

But I've left the honeymoon phase and discovered some really frustrating bugs. On my Windows machines, the copy/paste will often by very delayed, or I'll have to move the cursor from A to B to A to B machines to get it to paste. Also the cursor frequently gets "stuck" for a few seconds between machines.

I came to find out that Synergy is not being maintained at all. It's a 3-year old build! WTF?

Can anyone recommend programs that work at least as good as Synergy, preferably those that are open source and multi-platform?

Thanks!

Simple AV capture program for a Windows laptop?

killdevil — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:06:50 -0800

I need a Windows program that will capture audio from my laptop's mic and video from my laptop's built-in camera, then dump the combined results to disk in some convenient video format. This sort of quick-and-dirty video capture is such an obvious thing to do that I feel sure decent software must exist (how else would the YouTube-loving peoples of the world capture for posterity the gyrations of their cats upon monitors and keyboards, after all?), but Google turns up nothing but terrible-looking junk. Bonus points for free and/or open source. I'm also not averse to paying for trial-ware that I can check out before I commit to anything.

Also, as I'm just hoping to record some lectures for my own review later on, the output doesn't have be production-quality -- it just has to let me see and hear what went on.

What is the best way to sync my contacts (name, email, phone number) between my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Gmail? I am using Address Book at the moment but should I be using something else?

decrescendo — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:50:45 -0800

What is the best way to sync my contacts (name, email, phone number) between my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Gmail? I am using Address Book at the moment but should I be using something else? What is the best way to sync my contacts (name, email, phone number) between my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Gmail? I am using Address Book at the moment but should I be using something else?

I just synced them using the "Sync with Google" option in Address Book. Then, I deleted all the garbage contacts that Address Book pulled in from Google since it apparently takes in the "My Contacts" and "All Contacts" contacts. (I ended up with a bunch of stupid Craiglist emails getting pulled in to Address Book; aggravating.)

Then, I plugged in my iPhone and it updated itself with the Address Book.

After that, I went back and completely deleted my Gmail contacts since Gmail wouldn't sync itself back with Address Book in order to delete all the garbage Craiglist contacts it had created.

Then, I used "A To G" to create a .CSV from Address Book to import into Gmail. The big pain this creates (other than not having Gmail sync in the step previously) is that I have to re-add all of Google Talk contacts.

There HAS to be a better way? Does anyone have any ideas?

And I haven't even begun to bring my PC into this equation. Does anyone have any tips for that, too?

software for unknown extension

infostud — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:25:56 -0800

What software will open a .wls file? Searching reports that something called "602 PC SUITE" will do so, but that piece of software doesn't seem to exist, and the company that allegedly makes it doesn't have anything named that or similar.

up to date application checking application

metadave — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:48:41 -0800

A while back ( months ago ? ) I heard on some podcast ( not sure which one ) about an application that would check the version of all applications running on my computer ( windows xp ) and tell me which ones have newer versions available. Does anyone know of any such program(s) ? Tried googling but the search terms I came up with are are too generic: "windows application current checker" Thanks for any responses.

Help me feel better about buying a new laptop.

logicpunk — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:44:59 -0800

My computer is having a hardware issue when booting... I think. Started getting BSODs when booting (Windows XP, SP2). I can't say for certain what the error is since the computer restarts immediately on throwing the error (even with the automatic restart disabled). The error isn't consistent: sometimes windows will boot up fine, and I'll be able to use it normally (I'm typing on it Right! Now!).

Ran memcheck on it, and it passed. Downloaded "The Ultimate Boot CD" and booted from that - I was able to run the basic utilities, but any attempt to boot a disk image that came along with the cd either hung or threw an error.

Furthermore, the system is dual-boot, and I tried booting into the secondary OS (not booted for a couple weeks, no additional software installed for > 1 year) and it also BSODs.

So I'm thinking it's a hardware issue...somewhere. I've ruled out the memory, and the hard drive doesn't seem to have anything to do with it (else why would it hang on booting from cd), so it's probably something on the motherboard, i.e., I need a new laptop. Still, I have this nagging feeling that it *might* be software, somehow, so I'm wondering if there are any other diagnostic steps I should take to convince myself the laptop is (soon to be) toast.

Java Bunnies Breeding

Black_Umbrella — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:32:04 -0800

Which of these Java programs can i get rid of and why are they breeding like bunnies? Everyone that has my computer has the same issue where these things keep building up. It is school issued so i know a lot of people with the same computer and many of the same programs pre-installed. I have been deleting the old versions every now and again but why so many versions & which can I get rid of? I don't like 100+ MB bunnies breeding in my computer.

J2SE runtime vs Java 2 runtime vs Java 2 SDK vs Java(TM) update vs Java(TM) SE runtime

...I don't program so I don't need any if that is what they are used for. Oh and I run windows xp.

Does not compute

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:59:05 -0800

Home computer hosed - what means this message: "load needed DLLS for kernal" ? Homemachine is a refurbished IBM Thinkpad T40 running Windows XP. Worked fine until this evening, when it gave me the Blue Screen of Death twice, then refused to boot, returning this error message: "load needed DLLs for kernal." I do not have Windows disks for this thing, which I bought off E-Bay.

I don't give a damn about the computer, but I give a large damn about the files on it. Are they gone, or can they be recovered? Thanks in advance.

writing in windows?

gcat — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:16:31 -0800

software for writing (i.e., organizing) a novel on a windows machine? my question is basically this one, except for windows, not mac.

it seems that all the highly recommended options in that thread and this one are for mac only.

unfortunately i canot afford a mac at this time, although i seriously *wish* i could.

thanks!

Looking for Windows or OSX network diagnostic tools to fix internet dropping

dpollitt — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:01:03 -0800

Looking for Windows or OSX network diagnostic tools. Our internet connection will drop wireless every 10-15mins... Our internet connection will drop wireless every 10-15mins, forcing any user in the house to either 'repair' in Windows XP, restart in Windows, or turn Airport On/Off in OSX. This almost always works, but has become obviously annoying.

I have bought a new router, with the same results. Charter (cable company) has come out and said our line quality at the box and cable modem is plenty strong(not that I believe them, but that's what they claim). We use 2-3 computers daily, with Vista, XP, and OSX all with the same issue.

I've upgraded firmware on modem and router. Any other suggestions for software or solutions to try and figure out the issue?

Tech Specs:
Router: DLink WBR-2310
Modem: Linksys BEFCMU10 Ver 2

How can I tile windows in OS X

creeront — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:42:11 -0800

How can I easily tile my windows in OS X like I do in MS Windows? I want to easily and quickly tile my windows in OS X (especially word documents so I can read them side by side) like I do in MS Windows. In Windows, I use Winsplit Revolution and right clicking on the taskbar and hitting 'tile vertically'. Is there any way to do this?

RIP Mac... help me make Windows not suck

sindas — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:24:06 -0800

Long time Mac guy stuck for the foreseeable future using Windows. I'm out of the loop, but very computer literate. Looking for the BEST software for everything. What can't you live without? I was a Mac kid, a PC teenager, and switched back to Macs after high school. My Mac broke, and I'm broke. So now I'm stuck with my PC I built a while ago. I'm fully computer literate (built the PC) but I am totally out of the 'PC loop'. I am used to reading sites like The Unofficial Apple Weblog... Help me get back up to speed!

Already given up on trying to replace my tricked out Quicksilver setup. I'm running Google Chrome (couldn't be happier), Digsby instead of Adium.. I use Gmail through Chrome. I run a lot of music production and graphic design software and have a dual monitor setup.

Also running FileZilla, Picasa, and InfraRecorder...

Looking directly for these types of software:
Text editing (Replace TextMate for me please)
App launching (Someone port Quicksilver for me)
iCal (I use Google's Cal, but it just doesn't "feel right")
File Organization (Hazel...?)
iTunes global hotkeying

+ anything else you can't live without!

(bonus question for extra credit: point me at a great article for dual booting Ubuntu and XP 64bit, starting with a clean drive.. )