Recent content by crawfish

I would like to clone my S/PDIF playback device in order to have one configured for surround sound and the other for stereo. Is this possible?

Good idea. I created a library so I can view both at the same time. Wow, after 7 years, I finally found a use for libraries. Aside: I've also been creating an AppData shortcut under File Explorer Favorites since Windows 7, as there are occasions when I need to deal with data hidden within. This...

The following still works, but it's a flattened view of the Start Menu instead of a folder view: Applications {4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1} Seeing as my Windows 10 in a VM is the same way, I'm guessing Microsoft broke it on purpose and decided to derp Windows 8.1...

Thanks, but I don't want a toolbar. I want a folder view in Explorer. Can anyone confirm that this no longer works? explorer shell:::{865e5e76-ad83-4dca-a109-50dc2113ce9a} If so, Microsoft broke it with a Windows update sometime between March and now.

Anyone? All you have to do to try it is run the following: explorer shell:::{865e5e76-ad83-4dca-a109-50dc2113ce9a} I have a Windows 8.1 VM that last ran Windows Update in March 2015, and it works fine on it. So, sometime between then and now it broke on my main machine, which is up to date.

Has anyone else found that the following item has stopped working in Windows 8.1? Programs Folder and Fast Items {865e5e76-ad83-4dca-a109-50dc2113ce9a} I've had a shortcut to it in my Explorer Favorites since forever to give me access to All Programs, but...

FWIW, to disable Narrator permanently, I do the following, where no_op.exe is a GUI program I wrote that does nothing and simply exits. Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options]...

Powerchute Personal 3.0.2 works fine for me in Win8.1 x64, though I have always used Autoruns to disable the "Display" task located at c:\program files (x86)\apc\powerchute personal edition\datacollectionlauncher.exe. I also disable the "APC Data Service" using the Services applet. These things...

Good question. PowerChute is able to wake a sleeping computer to hibernate it. That's the main thing. It also has additional features for configuring various things, viewing power usage, etc. I use it and recommend it.

Full disk encryption is protection against theft of the physical drive. Provided the computer is powered down or hibernated, it also protects against theft of the computer. However, if the computer is powered on and available with the drive mounted, or it was slept while the drive was mounted...

Checking the bottom box is not advisable unless the drive has a PSU separate from the computer. Ordinary internal drives do not qualify, except some SSDs have capacitors that ensure buffers are flushed in the event of power loss; I think it would be OK to do it for them. To be clear, if the...

Glad you figured it out.

Uninstalling things in the Control Panel isn't the same as physically disconnecting the power to them. Yes, fans are a good possibility, especially if the hysteresis is poorly implemented like I remember from the last AMD video card I used in 2009 or so. In fact, I sent it back for this reason...

That's incorrect even talking about relatively slow drives like WD green drives. When copying many GBs of large multimedia files to an empty 4 TB drive, they easily achieve those rates and higher after caching has gone to steady state (i.e. the drive is the limiting factor), and even nearly...

FWIW, ordinary hard drives only operate at one speed, i.e. there is only one speed below "Full Speed", and that is, "Off", and this includes the WD Green Drives, despite the confusing "IntelliPower" terminology they use. There are many things that cause drives to spin up for no apparent reason...