PREVIEW: Coming soon, Vista Multimedia Scheduler Configuration Tool

[Jeremy Collake]

The last couple days I spent writing a small utility to manage the settings of Vista's multi-media scheduling service. While users can make these changes themselves in the registry, this tool will give them a little assistance and make sure they set parameters correctly. I'm honestly not sure how many people will actually find this utility useful though... nor am I sure its a good idea for users to even adjust these settings. It is part of a larger plan to add several new Vista features to Process Lasso.

The code is almost completely done, but polishing and testing remains. I was about to release a functional version that just doesn't save as a preview, but for now you'll have to live with this screenshot, as I am out of time for the day.

[petrossa]

way to go! you have a list of vista management functions you have in mind? I'd like an easier way to manage/schedule tasks. The taskscheduler utility of vista is horrific in it's inverted user interface structure. Try to edit an existing task, takes 15000 clicks. It's opening screen is less then informative, the menubar illconceived etc

I'd like something like proces lasso's processlist, but then with all scheduled/running tasks. A rightclick to open a menu to manage the task.

or is this OT 

[Jeremy Collake]

way to go! you have a list of vista management functions you have in mind? I'd like an easier way to manage/schedule tasks. The taskscheduler utility of vista is horrific in it's inverted user interface structure. Try to edit an existing task, takes 15000 clicks. It's opening screen is less then informative, the menubar illconceived etc
I'd like something like proces lasso's processlist, but then with all scheduled/running tasks. A rightclick to open a menu to manage the task.

Lol, yes Vista's task scheduler (read: not CPU/thread scheduler) is a bit convoluted to use. It is so much more powerful than the one in XP, with so many available events to trigger a scheduled task that they did a terrible job of making all that easy to use. I'll look into creating something to ease the pain, but its not my immediate agenda.

What is on my agenda is a piece of low-level code that will allow you to choose which processes you want to be classified as 'multimedia' and under what categories you want to classify them. Normally it required the program itself to register its multimedia threads. So, this will be for programs that don't do this themselves, and where the user wants them classified as multimedia and handled by the multimedia scheduler. This will be particularly helpful for older applications that haven't been updated for Vista (games, video/audio players, etc..).

I also have several other Vista features in the works, but it is still too early to disclose them.

Anyway, that's what I plan. I also have updates to PECompact and a new, undisclosed, free project too. So much work, I hope it all pays off in a big way someday .. but for now I'm just glad to see people using my software and am grateful to have the income I do have.

[petrossa]

will wait patiently. But now that i wrote down this taskscheduler thing, i've got the urge to  try myself to throw something together. I'll put it up with source, if i get it done.

[Jeremy Collake]

will wait patiently. But now that i wrote down this taskscheduler thing, i've got the urge to  try myself to throw something together. I'll put it up with source, if i get it done.

Do keep us updated if you decide to work on that. There might be something out there that already does it, but I don't know.

[Jeremy Collake]

Ok, I've got the code pretty done and am releasing it in Process Lasso v2.99 beta 1. I'll also release it separately later.

I still have tooltips to add and minor tweaking.. Give it a try if you like. You may have to right click the start menu option and select 'Run as administrator' if you use UAC with Vista. I'll be working on the fine tuning more, I'm just happy to have the code done.

The code backing the entire thing actually loads all settings of each task category into memory -- so you can edit every task category then finally save the changes all at once. A backup of the registry key is forced to be made before saving the changes. I also recommend creating a system restore point, just in case.

[Jeremy Collake]

For an update -- the code for this utility is now done, or damn close to it. I added tooltips to it in PL v3.00.2, which was the last thing I really wanted to do. I'll release it independently of Process Lasso some time today if I get a chance. I also need to add it to the docs and more..