All entries for May 2005

iTunes

1. Run regedit
2. Browse to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
3. Create a new key called wmplayer.exe
4. Create a new string value called Debugger
5. Set the value to "c:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe"
6. Test it (no restart required)
7. Exit Registry Editor

The same thing applies for making the Calculator button launch PowerToy Calc too. Of course your keyboard may be more flexible.

Winamp

For Winamp there is an additional complication: The "Debugger" is passed the filename as a parameter. iTunes ignores this but Winamp thinks it's a filename and tries to play it. Here's how to do this for Winamp:

1. Download ProgLauncher
2. Extract ProgLauncher.exe and Notepad.cfg somewhere. I chose the Winamp folder. Rename Notepad.cfg to ProgLauncher.cfg (or whatever you want as long as they match).
3. Open ProgLauncher.cfg in your favourite text editor
4. Change the first line to Winamp.exe (may need the full path)
5. Change the second line to ""
6. Change the third line to whatever path you want (e.g. the full path to My Music)
7. Save and close the file
8. Run regedit
9. Browse to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
10. Create a new key called wmplayer.exe
11. Create a new string value called Debugger
12. Set the value to "c:\Program Files\Winamp\ProgLauncher.exe" (change as necessary)
13. Test it (no restart required)
14. Exit Registry Editor

Please let me know if this helps you (comments below), or if I've missed anything, etc.

I don't want to generalise but [immigrants] all want to kill us!

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.

• System design is preceded by system specification
• Success is having sufficiently limited goals

This made me laugh – they may sound obvious, but are still where I always go wrong and why I've never managed to release (or even complete) any of the software I've started!

I've just installed all updates to the (rather minimal) packages I installed, and since the anorien server is internal it took less time to download the 233 MB than it did to install them! I'll miss this network next year!

Anyway, back to configuring it…

My 160Gb drive, which I bought only a month ago, broke while I was transporting it this weekend. When I had it at home it was fine, when I plugged it in here it was broken. Recover and format both failed, so it's now unusable. Fortunately it was mainly full of videos (replaceable), but I did lose some of my photo collection. Luckily I have copies of the best ones on my internal HDD for my screensaver.

This is the second external drive of mine that's broken, excluding the one that was DOA, and Richard's drive broke just last week. I'm now going to go out and buy a load of DVDs – at least when they break it only costs 25p to replace and theres a lot less data lost!

It has a 2 year manufacturer's warranty, but as it's sold as internal I don't know if they'll fix it. I'll find out when I have less other stuff to do, like burning DVDs. Oh and revision.

(Sorry about the quality, I did it in Paint because I can't be bothered to load anything better.)