FlyakiteOSX v3.something

Alright, this thread is a little late in the making, but whatever. I'm not sure what version this update is going to be, probably 3.5, since I'm adding a lot more than originally intended.

The update that will be released soon, and will be a full installer. It is not a small update pack or web based update or anything like that.

While yes, the update is taking longer than expected, the good news is that a lot of things are being fixed/addressed.

First off, I've added some features:

http://www.portraitofakite.com/temp/maintenancemode.jpg

http://www.portraitofakite.com/temp/extraoptions.jpg

http://www.portraitofakite.com/temp/forceupdate.jpg

The maintenance mode is pretty self explanatory.

The extra options page is a major new piece. The reason it is such a big deal, if you haven't figured it out already, is that there are actually two sets of system file icons in the installer now. One set the only goes up to 48x48, and another set that includes all icon sizes up to 128x128. If you don't use icon sizes larger than 48x48, or you feel that the system is taking up too much resources with the 128x128 set, simply select the 48x48 set and install. All system files will be remodded with 48x48 max icons. If your operating system is Chinese Simplified, the 128x128 option will be grayed out and not available, since those users must use the 48x48 icon set to avoid the shell32.dll memory allocation problems.

The Force System File Update tool is a new tool based off of the System Files Updater. With v3.0, to force update a file, the System Files Updater had to be called via the command line with the name of the file to update, like /shell32.dll. Now there is a dedicated tool to force update a file. Simply replace the resources from FlyakiteOSX with your own, run the Force System File Update tool, select the files you want to force update, and click Update. Easy!

And fixed a bunch of bugs:

- All Current User Settings tool bugs have been fixed. And I mean all. Originally, if an item was unchecked, it would be set to the default XP setting (Bliss for wallpaper, Luna for visual style, etc). Now, the default is only set if the FlyakiteOSX setting is currently set. This means, if you are using a custom wallpaper, vs, cursor set, what have you, when those items are unchecked in the tool, they will be left alone, instead of being reset to the XP default. I've fixed the System Files Updater option not working properly. LOTS of work went into fixing this tool.

- A lot of internal code has been revised

- Hopefully all of the issues with the System Files Updater alerting that files have been updated on every restart have been fixed

- Sound quality has been fixed. It shouldn't have happened to begin with, but oh well

- The boot screen has been fixed. Users should not see any professional text of any sort anymore. Nor will it cause problems with other applications. The /kernel=osxboot.exe switch has been removed (installer will remove it automatically). Instead, the file is kept as ntoskrnl.exe to avoid conflicts with other apps.

- Fixed btrez.dll not being updated

- Fixed bug where if installer was ran without restarting the system afterwards, and then the uninstaller was used, the OS X files stayed instead of uninstalling. There's a reason why the installer asks you to reboot when it is done people

- Fixed xpsp2res.dll and setupapi.dll icons not applying on Chinese Simplified systems

- Fixed dxdiag icons not applying

- Fixed issue where installer would hang at "Preparing Installation" on a select few machines

- Filipe has updated SearchSpy, and fixed all of the major bugs. Locate.exe is no longer included, so Google Desktop Search must be installed for SearchSpy to work (FlyakiteOSX detects for GDS)

- Added control panel files for bdeadmin.cpl, audiohqu.cpl, neroburnright.cpl, and avsmcpa.cpl

- Fixed Mail icon in Control Panel not getting modified on non-english code 1033 systems.

The best part is.....

Even with adding more files, another tool, and an entire subset of 48x48 icons, the installer is only 30mb exactly. Only a 600kb increase!

What else needs fixed? Should I add more stuff?

Are there bugs and whatnot that I've left out? If you have a problem in FlyakiteOSX that you feel could be fixed for this update, let me know.

Also, I'd like everyone's thought on me adding UberIcon in the Software section.

And.... what does everyone think about me including a different default Tiger theme? I'm considering going with this one (http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/showthread.php?t=31788). I am friends with the author, and he is going to make some changes for me (no spotlight icon, compact start menu possibly), so I'm curious as to how everyone feels on this issue, since its a very important part of FlyakiteOSX. Don't get me wrong, I love KoLs skin, but it is has not been updated in forever, and there are many things that can be improved upon.

So... who wants to help test?

I need a handful of people to help me test this update. I am looking specifically for people who are having problems with 3.0, whether it be the sounds, the Current User Settings tool, the System Files Updater alerts, installation hanging on Preparing Installation, Chinese Simplified users, SearchSpy problems, etc.

If you can help test, please send me an e-mail to flyakite19 @ hotmail dot com (do NOT pm me or add me to MSN), as I am creating an e-mail list of beta testers for future purposes. When e-mailing me, please use the subject "3.5 Beta Testing", and list any and all bugs that you are currently having with v3.0.

Thanks everyone for your support and for waiting patiently for this update.

Chris Kite

#356978

Hey, that sounds great! Thank you for good news! And one question to you... What will be size of installer?

#356999

Hey, that sounds great! Thank you for good news! And one question to you... What will be size of installer?

Even with adding more files, another tool, and an entire subset of 48x48 icons, the installer is only 30mb exactly. Only a 600kb increase!

#357000

Thank you Mr. Kite

#357001

Hi Flyakite,

sounds great!!!

Waht I have seen in the last version: if RK Launcher is already installed, and you checked to install it again, all the settings were overwritten and you have the standard bar again.

Regards,

Peter

#357002

Hi Flyakite!

I'm running 3.0 now and works flawlessly for me except for the "btrez.dll" thing but i can live with it until you release 3.X

What I would really like to have is a widescreen bootscreen. This could be an option in the installer (select the type of monitor you are using).

I've tried doing one by myself but haven't been able to install it. Here is what I did.

Thanks for your awesome work!!!

#357020

We will never end to thank you Chris! everything is more than welcome.

Your work is truly Monumental!

Fantastico!!!!

#357022

Hmmm.......I had only one tech. problem with already super 3.0 release

Monitor picture/icon(?) in display properties window had not changed to Cinema Display-like look after installing v3.0, but everything else was working on my XP home slovak edtion just fine.

PS: And again......sorry for my bad english

#357034

Sounds great. I think that UberIcon would be a fine addition to an already amazing pack.

#357035

PS: 1./ is it possible to modify "Internet Properties" icons in IE ?

2/ is it possible to change "About IE" screen to 6.0 version ?

#357039

These are great news:)

I know, there is Search spy, but could you change the Sherlock icon to the Spotlight icon from everywhere?Sherlock is part of panther,and I would like to see the Spotlight icon everywhere. and I'm not using Searchspy

#357043

@csongi Sherlock is included with Tiger too

I've always liked Kol's Tiger theme a lot, however i do agree that it's time for a change. If that's the VS you want to use, by all means go ahead.

#357087

@Pebowsi

Thanks for mentioning that. I have fixed this for the update. Everything but the .conf files and the theme folder will be overwritten (if already installed), so that you keep all of your current settings/themes, etc.

@styrizo

What ratio is your widescreen? 16:9? I'll see if I can come up with something, and if so I'll add it to the "extra options" page.

@6205

It's not supposed to be a Cinema Display. It should be a white iMac, facing directly forwards. If you still have the default XP image, PM me and I'll see if we can find the problem. Also, Internet Properties should already be modified (again, if its not, let me know via pm). About IE is 5.2, because that is the version on Mac.

@csongi

Sherlock is included in Tiger, and is meant as an all around search option, so I'm going to leave it as is. Since there are many spotlight clones now, all using the Spotlight icon, I want to leave that icon out of FlyakiteOSX, so that you don't have the Spotlight icon for Search, and then have the spotlight icon if you install any of the clones out as well. That would just be confusing.

#357092

flyakite,

Wonderful work and looking forward to the update.

Regarding the visual style - I'm using the one you linked to and find it's one of my two favorites. The other is dobee's version IV. Right now I'm leaning toward Shardies (the one you linked to). My vote would be to change the visual style you include.

Thanks again for all your efforts,

SMF

#357094

I had another question for everyone that I forgot. Is anyone using different Y'z Shadow settings? If anyone knows what the best settings to get as close to the actual OS X Tiger shadow, let me know, and I'll update it. Thanks.

#357096

If you will use borderless VS i think optimal offsets to a inner side is -3 in YzShadow.

In my "Display Properties" where you change screensaver or screen resolution si default

XP image like on picture below....(in v2.0 was this picture transformed OK)

If icons in "Internet Properties" should be by v3.0 already modified, then in my case

they're not and they look exactly like on picture in my post upper :-(

I have XP Home SP2 Czech with Slovak LIP(Language Interface Pack) installed on it, because localized Slovak XP dont exists.....

#357101

PS: I allmost forget, is it possible to add in v3.5 such a feature like XPize have ?

It will create ISO file and after burning a bootable, modified OSX-like Windows instalation CD

#357106

yes, and another thing, could you make that way that we can choose between these toolbar button images from v.3 and those which were in v.2 ? because with some styles it doesn't look so good these toolbar icons, and sometimes I would like to use the other images too from the toolbar.

And can you include an apple logo icon in the shell32.dll, or in other resource dll ?

#357111

@Flyakite:

In V3.0 in change log you wrote:

Added tweak for Internet Explorer -> Help -> About IE

But where can I find this tweak in the installation routine? Because afterwards my About IE looks still the same as before. I have XP Prof, SP 1, IE 6.0

Rgards,

Peter

#357128

yes, and another thing, could you make that way that we can choose between these toolbar button images from v.3 and those which were in v.2 ? because with some styles it doesn't look so good these toolbar icons

Definitely seconded!

A lot of people like the Tiger icons and they are much closer to the actual OSX, but the "old" jaguar toolbar icons looked a lot nicer with windows. Right now i'm using a Tiger WB Skin & a toolbar from an old Jaguar WB Skin, but something to choose the toolbar icons at the beginning of the installation would be great.

So that would be my only wish for V3.5

#357134

is Tiger by Steve Grenier still included? coz i can't remember it, but i think it's gone now. and it's much more Mac-ish than anything else.

#357193

is Tiger by Steve Grenier still included? coz i can't remember it, but i think it's gone now. and it's much more Mac-ish than anything else.

that is a wb theme and is not included in flyakite osx 3.

i like the idea of having 48x48 and 128x128. i used 128x128 icons from flyakite osx v3 for a while. they looked good but annoyed me when i clicked start button and when i opened dialog boxes. i always wanted an option to customize those options to 48x48 only. thanks flyakite !

#357199

Thank you for all the work you've done!

First off, I've added some features:

http://www.portraitofakite.com/temp/maintenancemode.jpg

http://www.portraitofakite.com/temp/extraoptions.jpg

http://www.portraitofakite.com/temp/forceupdate.jpg

What else needs fixed?

* Could you take a look at the drive letters from the HDD? I had to re-install Windows, but now I don't get just the drive name anymore. Before that you turned the drive letters of for me. I tried to turn the drive letters off via Tweak UI without any luck.

Also, I'd like everyone's thought on me adding UberIcon in the Software section.

And.... what does everyone think about me including a different default Tiger theme? I'm considering going with this one (http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/showthread.php?t=31788). I am friends with the author, and he is going to make some changes for me (no spotlight icon, compact start menu possibly), so I'm curious as to how everyone feels on this issue, since its a very important part of FlyakiteOSX. Don't get me wrong, I love KoLs skin, but it is has not been updated in forever, and there are many things that can be improved upon.

#357202

@kiran_aryan

That's incorrect, the Steve Grenier skin is still included. However, the msstyle by KoL and the skin by Steve Grenier have been combined into the Visual Styles section.

@tneo

UberIcon is a software program. Google it for more information. The drive letters was removed from v3, because I was tired of getting e-mails as to why peoples drive letters disappeared. Same with the Recycle Bin, etc. To remove drive letters via TweakUI, you have to select the "Show Network Drive letters before the drive" or whatever it is. The guy who did TweakUI mixed up the options, and it has yet to be fixed. (A restart or log off / on is required for it to take affect)

As for the old toolbar bitmaps, there will not be an option to choose which you want in the coming update. It would be too confusing for most people, and require a lot of modifications to the installer honestly. HOWEVER, I am going to release small packs for stuff like this. I will release a small installer, you simply run it, it extracts the bitmaps to the source folder, and runs the Force System Files Update tool. Update the files, restart, and viola, new toolbar bitmaps. Easy as pie.

#357210

@styrizo

What ratio is your widescreen? 16:9? I'll see if I can come up with something, and if so I'll add it to the "extra options" page.

Thanks for your attention to our demands Flyakite!!!

Yes, I'm working with a WXGA monitor currently at 1280x800

#357223