Microsoft Updates Multiple Sysinternals Tools 179
wiedzmin writes "A couple of very useful updates have just been released by Microsoft for the ever so popular Sysinternals tool set. The most notable one is ProcessMonitor v2.0 which will now include 'real-time TCP and UDP monitoring.' Another one, released earlier this year — Desktops 1.0, provides a very unique multi-thread way to get multiple desktops running on your Windows box."
Finally.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Multiple desktops without annoying flicker. Never understood why multiple desktop managers on windows used window hiding instead of real multiple desktops which were built in into NT family from at least NT4.
Oh well.. Maybe it's too late for me anyway to get used to multiple desktops because now I'm just using 2 lcd panels which provides real multiple desktops and I don't see the point in multiple virtual desktops anymore.
Process monitor looks sweet though.
Mark Russinovich is well known windows system hacker and I always liked his work. Nice to see that after acquisition of sysinternals by MS he still writes software.
Re:Finally.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Desktops reliance on Windows desktop objects means that it cannot provide some of the functionality of other virtual desktop utilities, however. For example, Windows doesn't provide a way to move a window from one desktop object to another, and because a separate Explorer process must run on each desktop to provide a taskbar and start menu, most tray applications are only visible on the first desktop. Further, there is no way to delete a desktop object, so Desktops does not provide a way to close a desktop, because that would result in orphaned windows and processes. The recommended way to exit Desktops is therefore to logoff.
Desktop 1.0 (Score:1, Interesting)
Sounds like a nice addon.
BUT...
When I install it, and try to switch to another window it just says "Error creating desktop. Not enough Storage is available to process the command". 120GB hard disk and 800MB (of 2GB) not enough for the 60kb application?
And I managed to keep hitting Alt+2, I got ONE desktop working. But Firefox refuses to start in that desktop. Saying "Firefox is already running but not responding".
I want to use this application, but I can't...Like PHYSICALLY can't.
Just wow. (Score:5, Interesting)
I actually clicked through and read about he virtual desktops. Just wow. I haven't followed Windows closely since 98SE and NT4 and it is amazing how little has changed. They still haven't caught up to things us Linux folk have had since FVWM in 1996. Virtual desktops should not be rocket science folks, the fact Windows is still struggling with them is shocking. More cash on hand than the Pope in Rome, as close to unlimited development resources as any mortal entity and they can't do easy stuff. No wonder they worked years and finally (still) birthed the horror called Vista.
They truly are kept alive by fear and ignorance. Ignorance in the mass consumer public that anything else even exists, and that 'all computers' are as unreliable as Windows and fear amongst those who DO know that their hard earned Windows Power User secret lore would be useless in a world without Windows.
Re:How about . . . (Score:3, Interesting)
It's not a BUG at all, it's a deliberate choice. For example Spore's implementation of Securom will NOT allow the game to run if it finds that in the background.
Lame (Score:2, Interesting)
From TFA:
Desktops reliance on Windows desktop objects means that it cannot provide some of the functionality of other virtual desktop utilities, however. For example, Windows doesn't provide a way to move a window from one desktop object to another, and because a separate Explorer process must run on each desktop to provide a taskbar and start menu, most tray applications are only visible on the first desktop. Further, there is no way to delete a desktop object, so Desktops does not provide a way to close a desktop, because that would result in orphaned windows and processes. The recommended way to exit Desktops is therefore to logoff.
About every other OS has had multiple desktops for ages, nicely implemented, now *finally* MS gives it a try, and they fail miserably. Sad.
Re:How about . . . (Score:5, Interesting)
Look to the popular cheating tool CheatEngine for an open source example of a kernel driver that unloads on demand.
Re:Finally.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe it's too late for me anyway to get used to multiple desktops because now I'm just using 2 lcd panels which provides real multiple desktops and I don't see the point in multiple virtual desktops anymore.
I use two screens AND multiple desktops... More screens and more desktops serve different purposes. You use more screens so you have more pixels for the same task. You use more desktops so you can separate tasks by putting all the windows you need for 1 task on 1 desktop.
Re:Is Desktops-1.0 any better than powertoy versio (Score:2, Interesting)