Is Microsoft Document Interface a Virus?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nev.
  • Start date Start date
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Nev.

Is "Microsoft Document Interface" a virus, or worse still , malaware?
It may not be, but it feels like it to me and is driving me round the
bend.
 
Nev. said:
Is "Microsoft Document Interface" a virus, or worse still , malaware?
It may not be, but it feels like it to me and is driving me round the
bend.
Click to expand...
What is it like around that bend anyway? Could you be a bit more specific?
 
"Johnathan" wrote ...
What is it like around that bend anyway? Could you be a bit more
specific?
Click to expand...
My apologies. I accidently pressed a wrong key before I had hardly got
started on attempting to explain my problem. I will post the rest a bit
later.

Nev.
 
We'll all be waiting impatiently. :>

Alan

Nev. said:
"Johnathan" wrote ...
My apologies. I accidently pressed a wrong key before I had hardly got
started on attempting to explain my problem. I will post the rest a bit
later.

Nev.
Click to expand...
 
"Vanguard" kindly gave the URL to the Wikipedia article on
Multiple document interface. Thank you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_document_interface
Click to expand...

After reading the Wikipedia article I wonder if I am wanting to
use a Single Document Interface, but perhaps Windows is only
allowing me to use the multi one. But I realise my understanding
of these processes is not great.

Below is a copy of my explanation of how I saw my problem
which I did not see get published to this thread.

" I had been having trouble with my computer for about twelve months.
So I have had everything uninstalled and reinstalled on my computer.
I have had a new and larger power supply fitted.
I have replaced four HDDs with two larger ones.
I have replaced my old HP printer with a new and more powerful model.

(I have not changed Operating Systems. I am still using XP Pro.)

Now when I put my computer back into service after all this and
started to use my new printer, I seemed to find that this new
fangled "MDI" thing, which I had never heard of before, seemed to
be blocking me from me accessing some of the printing options that
were, or should have been, available on on the printer.

Shortly after this I replaced my old diabetic glucose meter with a
newer model, and then my problems with MDI seemed to multiply.
The interface of this new model meter with my computer seemed
pretty much the same as the older model so I had thought using it
would be a piece of cake. Silly me!

With the old meter it was as easy as falling off a log for me to
print out logs, graphs and other analyses of my meter results. But
not with the new meter! MDI with the new system insisted I had
to save the file first! Sometimes it would keep insisting that I save
the file again without letting me get to print it, and seemed to want
find more ways to frustrate me.

I have called the meter's supplier's help line several times with my
problems and they have assured me that the new model meter is
designed to print out everything directly, just like the old model,
and they don't know of anybody else having a problem like I am.
If possible, the people on this help desk seem to be trying to help
even more than the dedicated experts in these news groups.

TIA,

Nev.


Postscript: I do not have Active X on my computer. Might MDI
need Active X to function properly?
 
Nev. said:
After reading the Wikipedia article I wonder if I am wanting to
use a Single Document Interface, but perhaps Windows is only
allowing me to use the multi one. But I realise my understanding
of these processes is not great.
...
Now when I put my computer back into service after all this and
started to use my new printer, I seemed to find that this new
fangled "MDI" thing, which I had never heard of before, seemed to
be blocking me from me accessing some of the printing options that
were, or should have been, available on on the printer.
Click to expand...
...
Click to expand...

Whether an application uses SDI or MDI is up to the whomever codes the
program. Normally it is not a user-selectable behavior although there
are some programs that will let you switch. As yet, it is still unclear
what is this MDI "thing". If you mean the windows appear outside the
parent window when they used to be inside the program's parent window,
or visa versa, I doubt you will be able to change the style of interface
that the program uses. It is coded that way. MDI usually means
"multiple document interface" which has to do with whether windows are
allowed to be positioned outside the parent window or not. Since you
don't mention what MDI means, I choose the most common usage of it
within Windows. Could be it means something completely different.

MDI is how the windows are painted. As mentioned in the Wiki article,
it is a manner of presenting the parent and child windows. It has
nothing to do with ActiveX. The windows are painted by system API calls
made by the application. It is possible that the child windows were
made "modal". That means that you cannot return to its parent window
until you close the child window. When a child window is modal, it is
made that way to force you to commit an action, like OK or Cancel,
before allowing you to continue using the application. It may be that
the child window locks you out from the main application which means you
cannot get back to it to do the printing.

A printer doesn't use MDI because it isn't a graphical output device to
display content to a user. In fact, its purpose is to simply accept
traffic and without any interface to the user. The printer may have
come with utility software but that usually isn't need to operate the
printer. All you normally need is the driver for the printer, you send
traffic to the printer, and you never see anything until the paper
ejects from the printer. Since "MDI thing" doesn't describe WHAT you
are seeing, maybe the printer's utilities have changed to using MDI
rather than SDI and you just need to get used to the different UI
presented to you. Have you tried uninstalling any software related to
the printer (i.e., what the printer maker supplied with their printer),
uninstalled the printer (right-click on it in Printers applet in Control
Panel) and select delete, and then downloading the latest driver and
software for your printer? Make sure you get the correct version of the
driver and software since they may have different versions depending on
which OS you are installing it.

Does printing work from other applications?
 
..
"Vanguard" wrote ...
Have you tried uninstalling any software related to the printer (i.e.,
what the printer maker supplied with their printer), uninstalled the
printer (right-click on it in Printers applet in Control Panel) and select
delete, and then downloading the latest driver and software for your
printer? Make sure you get the correct version of the driver and software
since they may have different versions depending on which OS you are
installing it.

Does printing work from other applications?
Click to expand...
Well it was something like that, but even simpler.

I had someone come out and look at my computer. They went into
"Printers and Faxes" to see what was set up as default and found that the HP
K550 printer I had installed had been replaced as the default printer by the
"MDI" by some program or other, and as soon as they made my HP K550
the default printer again, everything was back to working normal again.

Thanks for your ideas,

Nev..
 
Nev. said:
Well it was something like that, but even simpler.

I had someone come out and look at my computer. They went into
"Printers and Faxes" to see what was set up as default and found that
the HP
K550 printer I had installed had been replaced as the default printer
by the
"MDI" by some program or other, and as soon as they made my HP K550
the default printer again, everything was back to working normal
again.
Click to expand...


Ah, so MDI never had to do with "[Microsoft/multiple] document
interface" that you mentioned in your first post. MDI was the *name* of
a printer device.
 
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