I have a program (Hotkey Helper) through which I defined a LOT of my keys.
Some of these, understandably, conflict with DO.
I went to adjust the DO keys, 'cause I didn't want to just delete them all, but some I couldn't find.
I have a Microsoft Natural Multimedia keyborard, and one of the special keys (My Pictures) is now opening another folder entirely (My Zinio Library).
How do I stop this?
I tried unloading DO, but that didn't seem to help.
?
Regards,
Chuck Billow
[quote]I tried unloading DO, but that didn't seem to help.
[/quote]
To my knowledge, DOpus does not, and cannot, change the functions of any special keys on any keyboard—that is, the keys outside of the standard 102 keys that all full-sized keyboards have. To my knowledge, DOpus currently has no way to assign hotkey sequences to buttons like My Pictures, E-mail, Search, etc. Such key assignments are the domain of the Windows-provided keyboard driver, or driver from the keyboard manufacturer.
I'm not familiar with your brand of hotkey managing software. But before I started really using DOpus, I used to use WinKey, a shareware/freeware hotkey manager. I liked WinKey primarily because it could assign hotkey sequences that made use of the otherwise largely under-utilized Windows key. However, since I purchased DOpus for Windows (starting with version 6.x), I have only used DOpus as my hotkey Manager, as DOpus can define system-wide hotkeys. I have only found three things that DOpus cannot facilitate system-wide, that WinKey could:[ul][li] Minimize Window (for all windows applications, not just DOpus)[/li]
[li] Maximize Window (for all windows applications, not just DOpus)[/li]
[li] Restore Window (for all windows applications, not just DOpus)[/li][/ul]Like, you I also use a keyboard with "extra functions". I have two PCs, one has a Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro, the other a Logitech Elite. Both keyboards have extra buttons over and above the standard 102 that most full-size keyboards have. I'm using DOpus 6.x on one PC (with the Microsoft keyboard) and DOpus 8.x on the other (with the Logitech). And to boot on the Older PC with DOpus 6.x, I still have WinKey installed on it, though I have removed all but three hot-key sequences from it (the three above that DOpus cannot facilitate).
I have had no conflicts with any hotkeys, that I did not create myself. To my recollection, out-of-the-box DOpus only creates a single system-wide hotkey: + , which opens a new lister. All other DOpus hotkeys will only work while a DOpus lister has the system focus (is the active window).
My suggestion would be to do the following:
[ol][li] Completely uninstall Directory Opus and reboot.[/li]
[li] Document all of your current Hotkey Helper hotkey assignments.[/li]
[li] Completely uninstall Hotkey Helper and reboot.[/li]
[li] If your keyboard has software in addition to its driver, uninstall this software , and reboot.[/li]
[li] Uninstall your keyboard in Device Manager—do not reboot.[/li]
[li] Immediately Rescan for new hardware, which should find your keyboard again, and re-install its driver.[/li]
[li] If your keyboard has software in addition to its driver, re-install this software , and reboot.[/li]
[li] Ensure all of your keyboard buttons are working with only the keyboard driver and its software installed (if any).[/li]
[li] Re-install Directory Opus and reboot.[/li]
[li] Review (and clean up) the DOpus Out-of-Box hotkeys before creating your own new hotkey assignments.[ul][li]Make sure you turn on all the toolbars! Some out-of-box toolbar buttons, out-of-box menu buttons, and pre-defined commands have hotkey assignments. But as I recall, these assignments only appear in the Customize > Keys list, when the toolbar containing them is actually visible.[/li]
[li]Pay attention to hotkey assignments marked as System Wide, these work across your system, so long as DOpus is loaded into memory—a lister need not be open with the focus. All other hotkey assignments only work inside of a DOpus lister that has the system focus.[/li]
[li]I highly recommend removing all hotkey assignments from the DOpus toolbar buttons themselves. Instead, I recommend assigning all hotkey assignments directly in the Customize > Keys list. This helps eliminate duplicate assignments (when you drag the same button to multiple toolbars) as well as assignment conflicts (when attempt to use the same hotkey sequence for different functions). This also ensures you can always see all hotkey assignments in Customize > Keys, regardless if a toolbar is open or not.[/li][/ul][/li][li]Enter in all of you document Hotkey Helper hotkey assignments into DOpus Customize > Keys.[/li]
[li] Toss Hotkey Helper in the trash, and let your keyboard software manage its keyboard's special keys, and let DOpus manage your other hotkey assignments.[/li][/ol]
I just googled HotKey Helper. Its most recent version, v1.5, was released over a year ago on 2004-11-13. The author website is listed as: http://www.wpgsoft.com/, which has been taken over by someone trying to sell Internet advertisement. HotKey Helper is also either unrated or poorly rated (3 out of 5 or below) Shareware/Freeware utility. So you should not feel too bad about throwing it away, since it is no longer being supported or developed.
It's probably not Opus doing this but the keyboard drivers launching the My Pictures location, which causes the location to be shown in Opus if Opus is set to replace Explorer. (If you turn off Explorer Replacement mode you should find Explorer appears instead.)
The keyboard drives might have a setup program which lets you define the action of the buttons.
But I'm getting this reaction even with Hotkey Helper unloaded (which, by the way, you ought to look at 'cause it's STILL the best) .. it loads everything from an ini at startup, so there isn't any registry traces...
Since I've "replaced" Explorer with DO, maybe I'll try to unhook THAT and see...
I'll let you know...
CB
My suggestion would be to do the following:
[ol][li] Completely uninstall Directory Opus and reboot.[/li]
[li] Document all of your current Hotkey Helper hotkey assignments.[/li]
[li] Completely uninstall Hotkey Helper and reboot.[/li]
[li] If your keyboard has software in addition to its driver, uninstall this software , and reboot.[/li]
[li] Uninstall your keyboard in Device Manager—do not reboot.[/li]
[li] Immediately Rescan for new hardware, which should find your keyboard again, and re-install its driver.[/li]
[li] If your keyboard has software in addition to its driver, re-install this software , and reboot.[/li]
[li] Ensure all of your keyboard buttons are working with only the keyboard driver and its software installed (if any).[/li]
[li] Re-install Directory Opus and reboot.[/li]
[li] Review (and clean up) the DOpus Out-of-Box hotkeys before creating your own new hotkey assignments.[ul][li]Make sure you turn on all the toolbars! Some out-of-box toolbar buttons, out-of-box menu buttons, and pre-defined commands have hotkey assignments. But as I recall, these assignments only appear in the Customize > Keys list, when the toolbar containing them is actually visible.[/li]
[li]Pay attention to hotkey assignments marked as System Wide, these work across your system, so long as DOpus is loaded into memory—a lister need not be open with the focus. All other hotkey assignments only work inside of a DOpus lister that has the system focus.[/li]
[li]I highly recommend removing all hotkey assignments from the DOpus toolbar buttons themselves. Instead, I recommend assigning all hotkey assignments directly in the Customize > Keys list. This helps eliminate duplicate assignments (when you drag the same button to multiple toolbars) as well as assignment conflicts (when attempt to use the same hotkey sequence for different functions). This also ensures you can always see all hotkey assignments in Customize > Keys, regardless if a toolbar is open or not.[/li][/ul][/li][li]Enter in all of you document Hotkey Helper hotkey assignments into DOpus Customize > Keys.[/li]
[li] Toss Hotkey Helper in the trash, and let your keyboard software manage its keyboard's special keys, and let DOpus manage your other hotkey assignments.[/li][/ol]
utility. So you should not feel too bad about throwing it away, since it is no longer being supported or developed.[/quote]
I think Leo's idea might be the right one. Maybe the way the keyboard driver is opening the 'My Pictures' folder is a bit strange, and so when Opus intercepts it (because of Explorer Replacement mode), it gets confused about which folder to open.
Easy way to tell is to turn off Explorer Replacement and see if it opens correctly in Explorer.
EDIT:
'Cause AAMOF, with DO loaded, ANY call to explorer.exe EXCEPT typing it directly into the "Run" box, gives me DO...
I thought I'd posted the result, but don't see it:
Unloading Hotkey Helper did nothing. Turning off the Explorer replacement, or, better, using the "all but this folder" option did work.
It's not Hotkey, it's some conflict between DOpus and Microsoft's driver... 'cause remember it didn't just not work, it sent me to a totally wrong folder...
Maybe they'll be able to fix this somewhere along the way...
Here's hoping...
CB
[quote="jon"]I think Leo's idea might be the right one. Maybe the way the keyboard driver is opening the 'My Pictures' folder is a bit strange, and so when Opus intercepts it (because of Explorer Replacement mode), it gets confused about which folder to open.
Easy way to tell is to turn off Explorer Replacement and see if it opens correctly in Explorer.[/quote]
Not your hotkey program but the keyboard drivers (which may just be built-in Windows behaviour if you've not installed any keyboard drivers).
I'm not sure what you're saying here...
It's undoubtedly some issue between DO, and Microsoft IntelliKey (v5.2), but I see little chance of MS adjusting...
There's just some (little) twist to the way DO addresses the keys. Else why would it not only conflict with the MS driver (blocking the key etc.) but direct it TOTALLY to a different folder.
Glad there's a (tiny) workaround.
CB
You're missing the point 
We don't think it's anything to do with the keystroke itself.
We think it's what your keyboard drivers DO when they get the keystroke that is the problem.
When your keyboard driver sees the key, it runs a "system action" to open a particular folder. It's the opening of this folder that Opus is intercepting, and for some reason mis-understanding.
Just to re-cap - the actual problem you're having is that you press the key you have assigned to 'My Pictures', but an incorrect folder opens in Opus. Yes?
Now, can you clarify exactly how you have this configured? Is the key configured through your keyboard drivers, or through the Hotkey Helper program?
Exactly what do you have the key defined to do?
Can you show us a screenshot of the configuration window for this particular keystroke?
Also, try going to Preferences / Miscellaneous / Explorer Replacement and setting Don't replace Explorer, then Apply, to double-check that everything works properly when the key causes Explorer to launch.
If it still happens with Opus out of the picture then there's one less program to think about while trying to work out what's going wrong.
Okay:
In the zip file there aee three pics from defining a key with Microsoft IntelliKey.
Once you select the key to define (Pic 1) you choose what you want to do with it (Pic 2). In my case I pick "Start a program, web page or file";
In Pic 3 you can see (for the most part) just the path to a folder. Microsoft's driver interprets this a "Opne this folder in a single window via Explorer"
And this is where the key, in thois case "My Pictures", is definned to open instead of "My Pictures" "C:\Documents and Settings\CWBillow\My Documents\RegIDs", which worked fine... and does now, if I mark it for exclusion in DO (Option 3).
If I do NOT exclude it, and select instead "Replace Explorer for all system files" it opens "C:\Documents and Settings\CWBillow\My Documents\My Zinio Library" when I press the same button.
And switching options turns this error on or off with no re-booting or further intervention whatsoever.
HTH,
Chuck
Exactly what do you have the key defined to do?
Can you show us a screenshot of the configuration window for this particular keystroke?
<<
MS_I_Key.zip (61.5 KB)
Is RegIDs just a normal folder? If you change this to another folder does the same thing happen, or is it something peculiar to RegIDs?
RegIDs is just a standard folder with my software registration info. It happens regardless of the folder.
If I point the key at a program ("My Music" is pointed at msconfig.exe) DO works fine... it's all about the folders and the intervention into Explorer's handling of same.
CB
So what you're saying is, no matter what folder you have a key set up to open, Opus will open the "My Zinio Library" folder?
EDIT:
I just tried and found that any name I gave a folder that started with Reg caused the same reaction. Other names worked.
???????????????????????????????????????????
Strangely, no. It's just THAT folder. I just went and switched them all around, and other folders seem to be OK... bu that one, each time I come back to it, results in "My Zinio Library".
Strange?
You wouldn't have a file called "target.lnk" in that RegIDs folder would you?
If so, try deleting it and see if it fixes it.
That seemed to fix it. What was it and why?
Also, is it a lister I need to set up now to have this folder show up in single-pane icon form?
[quote="jon"]You wouldn't have a file called "target.lnk" in that RegIDs folder would you?
If so, try deleting it and see if it fixes it.[/quote]
Well, it's not "IntelliKey" but "IntelliType Pro". I just installed v5.2 from Microsoft with my Digital Media Pro keyboard and the same hotkey (to the same path as yours no less) works just fine. I know it might seem far fetched since it 'otherwise works with Explorer'... but for shats and giggles, could you try temporarily renaming both your "RegIDs" and "My Zinio Library" folders to completely different names? Just as a test - name one foo, and the other oof and update your IntelliType key bindings to go to the new folder name? How are you entering in the path to IntelliType? Copying and pasting? Manually typing? What happens with the folders renamed?
EDIT:
Steje:
I found the folder options....
TX
Steje:
As noted it seems now to be working... there was a file target.lnk that upon deletion seemed to adjust the issue.
I appreciate everybody's patience...
Now that THTA one is done, I'm off to set it up...
Is it a "lister" I need to set up to have that folder always shoe in large icon form?
And where do I find how to assign a specific lister to a specific folder?
Regards,
Chuck Billow
"Lister" is just another name for a normal Opus window with a file list in it.
You need to create a Folder Format for the path in question if you want it to display in a particular mode. The FAQ on Folder Formats should explain all you need to know.