jv16 PowerTools 2006 v1.5.2.342 Broke My Personalized Menus

protocol

Since running Registry Cleaner in jv16 PowerTools 2006 v1.5.2.342, Personalized Menus in my Classic Start Menu has stopped working. It now displays the full Start Menu. I have tried disabling and re-enabling this option, but it still won't work.

The only way I can get it to work is to restore my Registry Cleaner backup.

Has anyone else found this?

tullik

Protocol wrote
Since running Registry Cleaner in jv16 PowerTools 2006 v1.5.2.342, Personalized Menus in my Classic Start Menu has stopped working. It now displays the full Start Menu. I have tried disabling and re-enabling this option, but it still won't work.

The only way I can get it to work is to restore my Registry Cleaner backup.

Has anyone else found this?

The new PT version removes the entries that windows uses to build personalized lists on the Start Menu. On some systems, there are hundreds, even thousands, of entries under the registry key that windows uses for that purpose.

Here are posts by jv16 and redseujac that mention two ways to stop removal of those items.

protocol

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jepe

I will not be using this tool again until this problem is addressed. I should not have to change default settings to stop it breaking my Start Menu.

Well this is not a problem.

As not everyone has the same ideas and wishes, PT 2006 has the Ignore word feature - "redseujac" mentioned it in the post "tullik" was referring).

So it's easy to personalize your cleaning options just as you want.

This is the same you are doing i.e. with the exclusion-list in your Anti-virus, Anti-Hacker or Spam-tool.

Jean-Paul

protocol

jepe wrote
I will not be using this tool again until this problem is addressed. I should not have to change default settings to stop it breaking my Start Menu.

Well this is not a problem.

As not everyone has the same ideas and wishes, PT 2006 has the Ignore word feature - "redseujac" mentioned it in the post "tullik" was referring).

So it's easy to personalize your cleaning options just as you want.

This is the same you are doing i.e. with the exclusion-list in your Anti-virus, Anti-Hacker or Spam-tool.

Jean-Paul

With all respect, I strongly disagree with you. I believe this is a problem. Regardless of whether you use the Personalized Menus or not, the fact is that Registry Cleaner breaks this feature. That is not good for a registry cleaner to do that in its default settings.

redseujac

Well, I do understand a bit the concern of Protocol ...

New and not so advanced users don't know anything about those HRZR_ (and in general MRU) entries and they are not supposed to know about it.

So after a registry cleaning (with hundreds or thousands of such entries listed and cleared) they are loosing (some or all) of their start menu settings, because the "MRU-scan" option is checked by default when starting Registry Cleaner.

Maybe it would be better for our new users that "MRU-scan" option is not checked by default when starting the cleaner? :

But in the meantime it's very easy to uncheck that option before cleaning or adding "HRZR_" to the ignore words tab :

jv16

Protocol wrote

With all respect, I strongly disagree with you. I believe this is a problem. Regardless of whether you use the Personalized Menus or not, the fact is that Registry Cleaner breaks this feature. That is not good for a registry cleaner to do that in its default settings.

The Registry Cleaner doesn't "break" the feature, it only resets it.

If you use the MRU scan module of the Registry Cleaner it will clear all the detected MRU (most recently used) data, including the data that is used to build the Personalized Menus.

Of course, there could be a some kind of exception in the MRU scan module to exclude those items but where does that lead? Should it next exclude also MRU items of MS Word, since the MRU data is used to build the Recent Documents menu? And so on.

In my opinion, if it's MRU data, the MRU scan module should clear it without any exceptions. If the user doesn't wish to some MRU data to be cleared there's always the Ignore Words feature, and one can also choose not to run the MRU scan part of the Registry Cleaner.

squirekat

Hi there jv16...

My first post here but I've been enjoying Power Tools for over a year now. First time I installed and ran the 2005 version it reduced my restart time from over 3 minutes to less than 1 minute. I was sold! I used to do a clean install of Win XP about every 2-3 months in order to get rid of all the accumulated junk in my registry. For me that is (was) about a 30 hour process. Since Power Tools I no longer have to do that, so your software has paid for itself many times over in time alone. I'm now running 2006 and have really never had anything but minor problems with your product. Having said all that... (you knew this was coming didn't you?) ... the first time I ran 1.5.2.342 it found 3003 "useless" registry entries. Wow! I thought my entire registry had been wiped! I don't particularly like having my start menu entries reset each time but haven't noticed any other "annoyances" yet. Thanks for the info on how to fix/adjust the product to avoid wiping certain MRU lists. Just my 2 cents, but I tend to agree that some of the MRU lists should not be wiped each time. Yes, we can always hack the registry or choose not to wipe but I believe most consumers, even advanced users, prefer a product that works right out of the box with no tweaking necessary. We want the tweaks to be done by the software developer. I suppose we will find out with time how the majority feels about this. All things considered I think you have a fantastic product and I will continue to enjoy using it. It's like air conditioning... once you have it you can never go back to not having it.

Best regards,

Mark :

oxford

Hello all!

Nicely written Mark!

I am very much in favor of this OPTION, for one it does not leave tracks for Spyware and my computer runs at its best.

If the items or programs that dissappeared on your start panel are really that important simply right click and pin them to the start panel before you run the MRU cleaner and they will stay until you tell them otherwise.

On a Personal note: JV16 PowerTools 2006 is an absoulte MARVEL!

It may not of been said but: ALL THOSE RESPONSIBLE for this MARVEL please STAND UP and TAKE A BOW, YOU HAVE ALL EXCEEDED the EXPECTED LEVELS of Workmanship and Support.

Thank You

Oxford

protocol

jv16 wrote
Protocol wrote

With all respect, I strongly disagree with you. I believe this is a problem. Regardless of whether you use the Personalized Menus or not, the fact is that Registry Cleaner breaks this feature. That is not good for a registry cleaner to do that in its default settings.

The Registry Cleaner doesn't "break" the feature, it only resets it.

Well I waited over three days for Personalized Menus to work again, and it didn't.

protocol

Oxford wrote
Hello all!

Nicely written Mark!

If the items or programs that dissappeared on your start panel are really that important simply right click and pin them to the start panel before you run the MRU cleaner and they will stay until you tell them otherwise.

That cannot be done with the Classic Start Menu. Plus I wouldn't want to do that just before every time I ran the Registry Cleaner.

tullik

Some time ago, I made a registry setting to suppress encryption of the HRZR_ entries. This had two effects:

1. I could see new entries in plain text.

2. PT did not consider the entries to be UserAssist items.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To reproduce Protocol's problem, I had to get on the same page, so I:

1. removed the entire UserAssist key -- Impact? -- windows stopped logging anything to UserAssist.

2. restarted windows -- Result? windows redid the UA key and started encrypted logging immediately.

3. switched to Windows Classic Menu -- checked every advanced start option and added two programs to a start menu folder.

4. checked the start menu -- looked OK.

5. after a while, ran RC with MRU checked, removed all the HRZR_ items -- both UA Count subkeys were then empty.

6. checked the start menu -- looked the same as at 4 above.

7. restarted windows and checked the start menu -- looked the same as at 4 above.

8. powered down and powered up and started windows.

9. checked the start menu -- looked the same as at 4 above.

10. but no personalized menu was created during all this ...

11. restored 100s of UA entries from old backups -- still no personalized menu.

12. went back to Start...Properties...Classic SM...Customize -- changed nothing, just clicked OK (system busy for 3-5 seconds).

13. now I had a personalized menu.

14. went back to Start...Properties...Classic SM...Customize -- changed nothing, just clicked OK (system not busy, immediate exit from Customize).

15. now the personalized menu was gone! -- couldn't get it back ...

16. restarted -- still no personalized menu (not enough items?).

17. copied about 50 shortcuts to to All Users Start Menu Programs folder -- immediately had a personalized menu, which stayed around

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now, finally on the same page ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18. ran RC with MRU checked, removed 960 HRZR_ items -- both UA Count subkeys were then empty.

19. personalized menu was still there.

20. restarted windows -- the personalized menu was gone.

21. started notepad & wordpad about 30 times -- still no personalized menu.

22. restarted windows -- still no personalized menu.

23. did 100-200 program launches (about 6 diferent programs) mostly from desktop icons and QuickLaunch -- still no personalized menu.

24. did only one launch of about ten programs -- still no personalized menu.

25. switched between Classic and XP styles a few times in 23 and 24 -- XP added a program to its list quickly (up to the specified max -- did not add programs already pinned - may not have added programs already in QuickLaunch) -- got a pop-up; apparently there is a top limit in the XP style (doesn't scroll like the Classic style).

26. Switched back to the XP style, since I prefer it. :)

Speculation:

1. The recently-used algorithm used for the XP style requires very little history to make a program eligible for list inclusion (subject to the specified and top limits), so the UserAssist reset has very little impact.

2. The not-used-recently algoritm used for the Classic style requires a lot of usage track history before the personalized menu feature becomes active.

Conclusion:

1. Users of the Classic style personalized menu should use one (or both) of the methods suggested in prior posts to avoid removal of the 100s to 1000s of usage track history items used by the Classic algorithm. If the history has already been removed, restoring it should bring back the personalized menu. (Restart required? Don't know -- maybe).

2. The next PT 2006 release should not turn on the MRU scan with either "Quick select" option (or any other default there may be). MRU scan should only be turned on by a user click or a saved Preference.

A possiblity?: Is there a windows API or detectible windows setting that will show "Classic style/Personalized menus" is active so the UserAssist cleaning can be bypassed programmatically?

A question: Is (will) the Windows Classic style start menu still be supported in Vista?

redseujac

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tullik

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protocol

tullik wrote
A question: Is (will) the Windows Classic style start menu still be supported in Vista?

Yes.

jv16

The just updated new version of jv16 PowerTools now has the MRU Scan option disabled by default, and it is no longer part of the Normal scan mode due to popular demand.

protocol

Thanks. Is there a ChangeLog posted somewhere?

jv16

The published news item contains a brief change log:

http://www.macecraft.com/news/118/

By the way, the nature of the change log is one question in our latest user questionnaire. So, if you wish to read more detailed change logs in the future, please vote: http://www.macecraft.com/news/117/

protocol

jv16 wrote
The published news item contains a brief change log:

http://www.macecraft.com/news/118/

By the way, the nature of the change log is one question in our latest user questionnaire. So, if you wish to read more detailed change logs in the future, please vote: http://www.macecraft.com/news/117/

OK. Also. I just thought that I should let you know that the Quick Select has nothing selected when you first upgrade to v1.5.2.344, which means that MRU Scan is still selected.

jv16

If you have the automatic preference saving enabled (it is by default), and you last time had used the MRU scan module of the Registry Cleaner the preference is remembered and also used after updating to the new version.

If you do a fresh install of the new version (i.e. if you don't install it over any older version), the Normal scan mode is automatically selected and the MRU scan is not enabled by default.