Igor

We're apologize for this trouble! It's a temporary problem of web hoster of WnSoft.com. The slow access may takes 2-3 days. Please use mirrors to download newest v4.00: http://www.simtel.net/pub/dl/63011.html

Now with help of RegNow we've prepared automatical system for sending of registration keys. So customer after he've ordered on-line, he will receive the key usually in several minutes. And no delay during 12-24 hours more. And the customer can starts work with PicturesToExe immediately after purchase.

Thanks for your suggestion. We very good know this interesting format, and STM, and especially XM, too. (By the way, I have wonderful .xm file with a music which is only 13 Kb.) Only I'm afraid that only a small number of users will use this format, because we can use only ready compositions. Now we've fully finished work on the new music player and in the nearest future we will think about OGG and other formats (optional) support.

Excuse us for this trouble! Just it's an incorrect key (which contains only name of the license) which was automatically sent by RegNow. We'll send you correct key manually tomorrow. Or please write me to igor@wnsoft.com (don't forget to let me know your Order ID and full name) and I'll send you the key immediately. p.s. we're working now with RegNow to make possible sending of the registration keys instantly for orders made online. It will solve an old problem of 12-24 hours of waiting after ordering.

We're closely working now on the new mp3 player which should solve known problem with music playing. And it provides high quality of playing. By the way, it's available smooth sound stopping (which takes 30 or 100 ms.) when you close presentation. And no glitches more, - partially they were caused because of DMA mode is not turned on by default in Win9x/Me. Anyway, as we've tested, this problem will not appears more.

Thanks for your comment! p.s. I don't believe that Microsoft will remove MP3 support. Anyway presentations with new mp3 player will be played OK, because they have own MP3 decoder.

PicturesToExe copies music files into default temp folder of Windows. On closing of a presentation, it deletes all these temp files (even under Windows XP). There is no difficulty with this. Just I use GetTempPath API function and then create a sub-folder there, and after delete this sub-folder.

I think that we could add checking when presentation runs from hard drive or from CD-ROM, and in last case copy music into temp folder.

Tripstrilles New mp3 player plays and should show length correctly of VBR mp3 files. We tested it on several files. think(box) Yes, new mp3 player can play mp3/wav/midi files directly from .exe file of presentation (we'll make it optionally on choose of author). So any presentations starts instantly. I shall test how it will work on the slow CD-ROMs (600 Kb per second), but they are enough for smooth playing, because playback takes 16-32 Kb per second only.

We have completed new mp3 engine for the PicturesToExe. Now it requires a long period of careful testing. And we finally add this player into PTE *only* if it will not cause any problem. This player should solve all known problems, because it has maximal compatibility with all mp3, wav and midi files under any version of Windows (even first version of Win95 without IE, without MediaPlayer, without DirectX). It provides excellent quality of playing, because it uses high quality MP3 decoder. Also only this engine gives ability to add video output feature (for the sound channel). For maximal stability and compactness of the code it doesn't use DirectX, and there is one difficulty with it. Because WMA music files support not included. It requires to use DirectSound for playing of such files. We wouldn't wanted to add this support, but if it really necessary, we could write special separate code for the WMA support. Currently PTE supports WMA format. Please let us know about your opinion about this.

Many thanks for your replies! Third variant (displaying of file names) will be used by the default settings. And, of course, an ability to set previous view with full file path.

Let me know, please, what you think about displaying of items in the Slide List. Currently it may happens file name can be shown because of a long picture's file path: www.wnsoft.com/SlideList_FullPath1.gif And I have two ideas how to improve this situation. This way provides ability to always see file name of a picture and beggining of the file path: www.wnsoft.com/SlideList_FullPath2.gif And final variant I like it more, - it is to display file name only, without full path where located the picture. Anyway user can look at the full path below when he selects the slide: www.wnsoft.com/SlideList_FilenameOnly.gif We can add ability to set any one from these variants, but which is better by default settings? Just I'd like to make more comfortable using of the Slide list.

To alrobin Preparing of thumbnails (on my Athlon XP 1600+ for pictures at 1024x768) takes only 300 ms. (1/3 of second) or so only 1/30 of second per each image. And it load in another thread, so interface is responsive anytime. Because for small thumbnails we can load large JPEG image with scaling - 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 or 1:8. So loading can be in 8 times faster. In PTE v4.00 we've added this algorithm for the preview of pictures in the main window and Cust. synch. window. To Dana Yes, I also plan to work in same sequence. Thanks.

Because of this, I very appreciate this forum and your opinions to make right decision. p.s. the idea of thumbnails page in a presentation is interesting. Thanks! But I'll think about this.

Thanks for your first and prompt responses! This thumbnailer is also intended and for our another future products. I usually work simultaneously on several features for the PTE. This thumbnail view of the Slide list could be shown exactly instead of current Slide list or at the bottom part of the main window. In both cases, the thumbs will be shown in one row horizontally. But you right, it's only 5-7 visible thumbs at 1024x768. I wouldn't want to make it as an separate window with multi-rows. So maybe it better to freeze it for the PTE and concentrate for another more important features? Because thumbnail view on the stage of an earlier test.

I'm experimenting now with a Thumbnail view of the Slide list, which may be useful for PicturesToExe. Thumbnail list is presented in the main window of PTE (with ability to have two-three views). It has multi-select feature (while to change an order of slides only). Please let us know what you think about this feature. Is it necessary or not? And your suggestions. p.s. also while there are no plans for thumbnail view of file panel. Only for the Slide list. And, of course, classic table view of the Slide list is available. Thank you,

I have received a response from developers of Norton Antivirus. They're apologizing for this trouble and promised add the fix in update of NAV during two days. Maybe even tomorrow on Wednesday. As temporary fix, please don't use PTE v3.60 (released more than 2 years ago) and recompile your presentations with v4.01 (or v3.80) p.s. I think that different mistakes may happen with any software, not only with NAV.

I've checked up my PC with newest update of Norton Antivirus and it marks presentations created with PicturesToExe v3.60 as "a virus". But it's a mistake, of course, no viruses there! I just sent a mail to the internal email address of Norton Antivirus developers and post here about their response.

I excuse for this problem! In previous case (it was v3.65) we've received a quick fix and apologizes from Symantec (authors of NAV). Please, as soon as possible let me know three points: 1) Is it the newest update of Norton Antivirus? 2) What is PTE's version of produced presentations? Will our examples of presentations (e.g. http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/starwars.zip) created in v4.00 labeled as "a virus"? 3) What is the "virus" name? Luckily now we have direct email address of the NAV developers and I hope to solve this problem quickly. p.s. my newest update (May 24, 2003) of Kaspersky Antivirus don't show any false detectings.

Please write me in details how to reproduce it. And I'll try to fix it soon. p.s. by the way, these short DOS file names is not a problem for PicturesToExe - because Windows understands equally and usual long file names and short DOS file names.

Thanks, I'll talk with our team about this moment today. Maybe better to prepare pictures in default RGB color mode, because anyway all current video cards (maybe except Matrox Parhelia in the future Windows Longhorn with his 10 bits per each color channel) and most of CRT/LCD displays show only 16,7 billions of colors.

PicturesToExe uses color settings assigned in Windows. So if you change Brightness/Contrast in parameters of video card or gamma, white point in Adobe Gamma, so it will be applied and in the PicturesToExe's presentations. But PicturesToExe uses (in general use) RGB color model for pictures, so embedded color profile into Jpeg file will be ignored.

"...a simple old DOS icon..." We have vastly improved default icon in the newest v4.00. But of course, you're free to assign any own icon.

To jupiter Thanks for your first posting on our forum, but we consider that it's not best way to announce new version of another software (especially giving a large "what's new" list). So please correct your posting. No problem, if it was logically required during discussion where member of course in right to write about another product (e.g. in context of an interesting feature).

Thanks for good news