Topic: Old Reliable tech.

[8ullfrog]

Downloading Winamp 5.56 isn't too difficult, works just fine.

ClockAmp on the other hand? cool your heels young Bucky, as I give you a tale of woe.

See I'm using that newfangled W10 PRO. It's... pretty good. Not a lot of complaints aside from updates that outright break the thing, but so long as I back my data up to a USB stick I'm free and clear.

Not so much with clockAMP.

clockAMP is not a particularly impressive bit of software. It's an alarm clock for WinAmp. You slap a track in the playlist, you set a time in clockamp, and the track plays at the specified time. Not rocket surgery.

Well, Windows 10 does NOT like clockamp. Had me half convinced it was a virus, despite using the same EXE for a decade back on Windows XP.

I figure that's the problem. 10's screening program doesn't like clockamp because it is not a commonly used program.

Windows SmartScreen, that's the cowpoo.

So you click through SmartScreen, but it tries to convince you, this isn't a good idea, not a lot of people use this software.

No poo, it's probably been abandonware for more than a decade.

Anyway, I managed to evade SmartScreen and got clockamp working. Antivirus doesn't give a flying golly about it, PC behaves normally, no weird sesh with Russia, I'm pretty sure clockamp isn't evil.

That being said, there is no 100% clearance.

Unrelated to Clockamp, Winamp, or any of that poo, I made a quick shortcut for shutting down 10. Not rocket surgery, you make a new shortcut on desktop and make the target: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 00

I made the icon the old red WinXP shutdown square.

Best of luck, friends!

[smokester]

The best "old reliable tech" I've come across is dweez.

[smokester]

*sniff*

I did think of you and all your expert and excellent technical input. But when I double checked I couldn't find a single example.

Odd that?

[dweez]

I'm flattered. And christ, you're like the over-paid consultant that swoops in and miraculously fixes the issue (well worth the money) then gets on his horse and rides off into the sunset (i.e. Zoom meeting with his next contract).

[smokester]

... and I suppose being Apple-only restricts the audience a little.

But I have the “old” part down!

I dunno. On a per capita basis you have a strong foothold here.

[6pairsofshoes]

I dunno. On a per capita basis you have a strong foothold here.

I can testify to having been helped many times by chris.  It's like having Batman on call.  I just point that big Apple spotlight to call for help, and he shows up.  Thankfully.

[goldshirt*9]

Bully , have you removed the password / pin at boot up for windows 10, drives me mad

[8ullfrog]

Sorry, no, my license requires the PIN.

I somehow tied my windows license to my email account instead of the computer, so verification requires a login, which uses the pin.

It's pretty quick though, just four digits and I'm in, I don't even realize I'm typing it unless I golly up.

If I golly up and don't have a net connection, the PC is essentially locked until I get a net connection, or do the old Power Cord reset.

I believe before the Fall Creators Update you could hack your registry to remove the never sufficiently damned Lock Screen, but they patched that.

[goldshirt*9]

I somehow tied my windows license to my email account instead of the computer, so verification requires a login, which uses the pin.

It's pretty quick though, just four digits and I'm in, I don't even realize I'm typing it unless I golly up.

If I golly up and don't have a net connection, the PC is essentially locked until I get a net connection, or do the old Power Cord reset.

I believe before the Fall Creators Update you could hack your registry to remove the never sufficiently damned Lock Screen, but they patched that.

Me as well,  didnt realise this happened nor the internet requirement as well.

have read online how to do away with the pin/password but after a brief attempt have given up.
Tis quick to boot agree.

[8ullfrog]

I was wrong. The registry edit works fine.

https://www.techjunkie.com/disable-lock-screen-windows-10/

just scroll down to the regedit solution.

The group policy option didn't exist for me, So I'm guessing that was what got patched out, and I was confused.

Windows did seem a little cranky while booting up after restart, but the stupid lock screen is gone. (Still have to punch in a pin)

[goldshirt*9]

dont mind the pin, at least i can remember it and it boots fast.

ATM struggling to get daughters iPhone 12 not to keep dropping the wifi signal.
Lots of advice on internet, she has moved provider from Virgin to O2 and i think its to do with the settings.
when she allows me more than 3 seconds to play with it will have a gander at it.

[smokester]

I've started to play a game that was released in 2003 (SpellForce) and I have too much kit for it to run well. I have to only allow it one core and not max every display setting.

Could do with some old tech right now.

[goldshirt*9]

would it work in a virtual machine on old Xp / 7 or still too powerful ?

Buy a old machine for old games

[dweez]

Have you looked at DOSBox ? Sounds like just what you need.

[smokester]

Thanks for that advice both of you but I have it stable enough to play through now.

It's a pretty decent game as it happens. It's sort of HOMM meets King's Bounty meets a Tower Defence game. Not bad at all.