[Update] CDCheck v3.1.2.0

[ArjanDotOrg]

CDCheck v3.1.2.0


Overview :

CDCheck is utility for prevention, detection and recovery of damaged
files with emphasis on error detection. It can check each of your CDs
and DVDs and indicate which files are corrupted. CDCheck reporting
features tell you exactly where the problems are. CDs can get damaged
in a number of ways, so the program helps you determine whether your
data is safe before it's too late. The program also provides a
comparison option that lets you select a reference directory on your
hard drive (or some other device). CDCheck ensures that the contents on
a disc match those in the directory, and effectively alerts you of
differences. Besides that CDCheck supports creation of CRC files which
provide extra safety that files on your CDs are still exactly the same
as they were. In addition to CD-ROMs, the program can be used with all
other local or removable media (disk drives, floppy disks, ZIP
drives...) visible by the operating system (Windows Explorer).

What's New:

Added optional startup debuging for easier bug solving
When opening options dialog the autodetected ASPI settings are kept the
same
Errors are now not shown if invalid wnaspi32.dll is present
During ASPI detection now all CD/DVD drives are listed and
autodetection of ASPI ID-drive connections is more reliable

Homepage: http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/

For related software, check out:
http://www.arjan.org/index.php?System:File_Management


Kind regards,

_____
Arjan

E-mail: (e-mail address removed) (remove NOSPAM)
Homepage: Arjan.org's Absolute Freeware Links (http://www.arjan.org)

 

[ms]

CDCheck v3.1.2.0

It now has a timeout nag screen for the free version, saying you need to apply for
a registration code.

Mike Sa

 

[Susan Bugher]

It now has a timeout nag screen for the free version, saying you need to
apply for a registration code.

On the 2004 PL as (Donationware)) (free for non-profit use).

I downloaded the zip file:

CDCheck 3.1.2.0 release zip file (without installation)
21.10.2004
1238 kB
http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/CDCheck.zip

I haven't seen a Nag screen but the Title say (UNREGISTERED) 30 day
trial). Looks like a TWO-PHASE MANDATORY registration is required.


http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/helplink.php?helpfn=registration

1. Personal users
If you think this software is useful and you can afford to buy a
Personal license, please do that. This will help to cover development
costs and you will be entitled to complete support for this product.

If you decide not to purchase a license, you can request Free license
from CDCheck ONLINE! (you have to be registered user of CDCheck ONLINE!).


http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/userreg.php

Thank you for deciding for CDCheck ONLINE! registration!

Please take the time to fill out all the information requested.

<snipped a very long list of items>

AFTER that "you can request Free license from CDCheck ONLINE!"

Nagware? Registerware? drop from the PL??????

Comments please.

Susan

 

[ArjanDotOrg]

On the 2004 PL as (Donationware)) (free for non-profit use).

I downloaded the zip file:

CDCheck 3.1.2.0 release zip file (without installation)
21.10.2004
1238 kB
http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/CDCheck.zip

I haven't seen a Nag screen but the Title say (UNREGISTERED) 30 day
trial). Looks like a TWO-PHASE MANDATORY registration is required.


http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/helplink.php?helpfn=registration

1. Personal users
If you think this software is useful and you can afford to buy a
Personal license, please do that. This will help to cover development

costs and you will be entitled to complete support for this product.

If you decide not to purchase a license, you can request Free license

from CDCheck ONLINE! (you have to be registered user of CDCheck ONLINE!).


http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/userreg.php

Thank you for deciding for CDCheck ONLINE! registration!

Please take the time to fill out all the information requested.

<snipped a very long list of items>

AFTER that "you can request Free license from CDCheck ONLINE!"

Nagware? Registerware? drop from the PL??????

Comments please.

Susan
--
Pricelessware & ACF: http://www.pricelesswarehome.org
Pricelessware: http://www.pricelessware.org
ACF FAQ: http://clients.net2000.com.au/~johnf/faq.html
ACF wiki: http://www.markcarter.me.uk/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?AcfWiki

Don't know. It's a good program...
And Avast is also registerware. But it's good.

Anyway. This is what they say about CDCheck ONLINE:

http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/support.php :
CDCheck ONLINE! is an online repository of CDCheck related information.
Currently it offers storage of information about CD manufacturers, CD
Media types and quality of them. Registration with CDCheck ONLINE! is
needed if you wish to use Media info synchronization!

Kind regards,

_____
Arjan

E-mail: (e-mail address removed) (remove NOSPAM)
Homepage: Arjan.org's Absolute Freeware Links (http://www.arjan.org)

 

[Susan Bugher]

Don't know. It's a good program...
And Avast is also registerware. But it's good.

Hi Arjan,

The current ware description ((Donationware)) (free for non-profit use))
needs revision. I'm trying to find out what the revision should be.
Mike said he is seeing a "timeout nag screen" - I'm not.

Registerware is eligible for the PL. Nagware is not. See:

http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/2005/2005PL-Procedures.php
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/acf/WareGlossary.php

Which v 3.1.2.0 file do you have: exe or zip? What does the program do
on your machine? Is there a nag screen at start-up (= Nagware), a
nagging splash screen (does not = Nagware)? Do you see "(UNREGISTERED
(30 day trial))" in the title (= Registerware)?

Susan

 

[ms]

Mike said he is seeing a "timeout nag screen" - I'm not.

Which v 3.1.2.0 file do you have: exe or zip? What does the program do
on your machine? Is there a nag screen at start-up (= Nagware), a
nagging splash screen (does not = Nagware)? Do you see "(UNREGISTERED
(30 day trial))" in the title (= Registerware)?

Susan

Susan, I also downloaded the 3.1.2.0 no-install version. Here's what I see as the
first screen every time I run the exe file.
quote:
------
Your 30 days evaluation period has expired. If you wish to continue using CDCheck
you must register this get an apropriate license for this software!

-------------------------------------------------------
1. Personal users
-------------------------------------------------------
If you think this software is useful and you can afford to buy a Personal license,
please do that. This will help to cover development costs and you will be entitled
to complete support for this product.

If you decide not to purchase a license, you can get a Free license by registering
as CDCheck online! user.

---------------------------------------------------
2. Business users
---------------------------------------------------
This applies to profitable business entities, governmental entities and
educational institutions.

You have 14 days to register this software by purchasing appropriate license. If
you do not intend to register this software you must uninstall it within 14 days.

---------------------------------------------------
Licence prices at the time of release:
- Personal license: $10
- Single user license: $50
- 5 users license: $200
- Corporate license: $500

For current prices go to:
http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/registration.php
-------
end quote

My option is to click "I will do it later". Then the program opens, but my
experience has been that when they start out this way, eventually the registration
screen demands a code.

So you don't see this screen every time? A puzzle- I suppose others see the nag
screen?

BTW, several days ago, you commented on so few no-installs in recent ACF posts. I
sure agree, they are hard to find.

Mike Sa

 

[Susan Bugher]

Susan, I also downloaded the 3.1.2.0 no-install version. Here's what I
see as the first screen every time I run the exe file.
quote:
------
Your 30 days evaluation period has expired. If you wish to continue
using CDCheck you must register this get an apropriate license for this
software!

-------------------------------------------------------
1. Personal users
-------------------------------------------------------
If you think this software is useful and you can afford to buy a
Personal license, please do that. This will help to cover development
costs and you will be entitled to complete support for this product.

If you decide not to purchase a license, you can get a Free license by
registering as CDCheck online! user.
(SNIP)

My option is to click "I will do it later". Then the program opens, but
my experience has been that when they start out this way, eventually the
registration screen demands a code.

So you don't see this screen every time? A puzzle- I suppose others see
the nag screen?

Ah so - *my* 30 day period hasn't expired - no doubt I'll see the nag
screen when it does.

Sooooooooo - it's Nagware after 30 days if you don't register. ISTM its
ware description should be Registerware - not Nagware - since you
apparently can get rid of the nag by registering.

Does anyone have any comments/objections?

BTW, several days ago, you commented on so few no-installs in recent ACF
posts. I sure agree, they are hard to find.

Yup. but I commented on how few I have *noted* in the acf program
pages. The number should be higher - if anyone spots a program that is
no install that *doesn't* have the "n.i." notation please let me know.

FYI - I've been revising the PL descriptions - showing that info in the
OS notes to make it easier to spot.

Susan

 

[omega]

Ah so - *my* 30 day period hasn't expired - no doubt I'll see the nag
screen when it does.

Sooooooooo - it's Nagware after 30 days if you don't register. ISTM its
ware description should be Registerware - not Nagware - since you
apparently can get rid of the nag by registering.

Does anyone have any comments/objections?

Agree, it's registerware.

Whether we're required to register before downloading, before running, or
after running 30 days -- that's all registerware.

Has anyone tried the registration? It failed for me.


1. After the thread about it, I went to the URL given.

http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/userreg.php

2. I filled in the form.

Your status:
Scholar
Student
Employed
Unemployed
Pensioner

Your job (if employed):
Information technology (software consulting, programming...)
Other technology company
Educational or non-profit organisation
Goverment
Other
[....]

(I just run through and check the first values on things like that, even
if that means I'm marking myself as male/age 12/retired.)

3. Got a browser window with confirmation message.

"Your information has been recorded and you have been sent
a confirmation email."

4. Logged in via web to my throwaway email account. Confirmation
message had arrived.

"On CDCheck site there has been a registration request using
this email. If you entered the information please visit this
link to confirm registration:
http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/userreg.php?confirmid=2eqyUSWzks "

5. I opened a new browser tab and pasted in the URL.

"Your confirmation id is invalid or has been already confirmed!"

6. SOL. No registration number for me.

I can't see that I'd have done the process of opening a browser window +
paste in the URL more than once, before getting that message. My webmail
account does not make URLs hotlinked, so it was a manual copy-paste. I was
running K-Meleon, had only two tabs open.

Yet even for a case where someone had clicked multiple times.. That would
be a very broken plan, for it to refuse to provide the number more than once
on the unique confirm ID. An expiry is sometimes used in these things,
but I've never a message that says "this has already been clicked, so
your whole signup time, and the email we sent you, it is all for naught."

Else the script being used is broken is another way. It fails to recognize
the confirmation id that it generated, calling it invalid. (And no, btw,
I did not copy a truncated URL from the mail message, have checked carefully
on that several times subsequently.)

Anyway, by intention, CDCheck is registerware.

But for me, by effect, CDCheck is expireware.

.. . .
Btw, I'm going to make it expire today, not wait 30 days.

 

[ms]

Ah so - *my* 30 day period hasn't expired - no doubt I'll see the nag
screen when it does.

Sooooooooo - it's Nagware after 30 days if you don't register.

Another puzzle. I only downloaded it 2 days ago, as maybe you did. The first time
and every time I ran it, the screen said "the 30 days have (already) expired".
It's like we downloaded the same program and got different screens.

I'll see what happens with it later, as I don't register freeware.

Mike Sa

 

[Susan Bugher]

Agree, it's registerware.

Whether we're required to register before downloading, before running, or
after running 30 days -- that's all registerware.

Has anyone tried the registration? It failed for me.


1. After the thread about it, I went to the URL given.

http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/userreg.php

2. I filled in the form.

5. I opened a new browser tab and pasted in the URL.

"Your confirmation id is invalid or has been already confirmed!"

Did you try logging in? This is the URL for that:

http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/support.php

Anyway, by intention, CDCheck is registerware.

But for me, by effect, CDCheck is expireware.

AFAIK it doesn't expire - it becomes *Nagware*. I could be wrong. . .

Agree that the author makes free registration extremely difficult. . .

Susan

 

[Susan Bugher]

Susan Bugher wrote:

Another puzzle. I only downloaded it 2 days ago, as maybe you did.

I downloaded this app for the first time on 10-21. Have you downloaded
and used earlier versions? That might make a difference.

The

first time and every time I ran it, the screen said "the 30 days have
(already) expired". It's like we downloaded the same program and got
different screens.

I started the exe just now - still don't see a nag screen.

Susan

 

[omega]

1. After the thread about it, I went to the URL given.

http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/userreg.php [...]
5. I opened a new browser tab and pasted in the URL.

"Your confirmation id is invalid or has been already confirmed!"

Did you try logging in? This is the URL for that:

http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/support.php

"Your username and/or password is invalid!"

AFAIK it doesn't expire - it becomes *Nagware*. I could be wrong. . .

Ok, you must be correct that it doesn't actually expire, in the sense
of refusing to run, after the 30 days. It's that the nag-free period
expires.

If I had any interest in the app, I'd just configure a systematic
delete of the counter value in my reg, feeling I've already done
my dues on the registration process.

Agree that the author makes free registration extremely difficult. . .

The long questionnaire -- combined with a broken script -- lousy PITA.
That was enough time spent for me. I've expired it. It can shout out
all the nags it wants, from the pits of my recycle bin. <g>

 

[Susan Bugher]

"Your username and/or password is invalid!"

That answers that. Thanks for checking. Perhaps someone who intends to
vote for this app as PW2005 could email the author about the problem
and report back.

Susan

 

[Mitja]

Hi!

I am the author of this software. CDCheck pops up the nag screen after
30 days. If CDCheck was already installed it pops up immediately.
After registration
you have fully functional copy.

The "Your confirmation id is invalid or has been already confirmed!"
appears if you have already confirmed the registration. This also
happens if page gets reloaded in any way.
I have now changed this to be more informative. Also additional info
is given on how to get the free license.

Registration is needed so that I can estimate the number of users and
their current use of CDCheck to better determine future development
(this is also written at the top of the questionary). For example
there is no need to focus on supporting disks, zip drives etc. if big
majority of users uses CDCheck just for CDs/DVDs.

Registration has another benefit for user - they are registered users
of CDCheck online! repository, what enables the synchronization of
CD/DVD quality information provided by all other registered users.

Best regards, Mitja
CDCheck Author

 

[Susan Bugher]

Mitja wrote:

Hi Mitja,

I am the author of this software. CDCheck pops up the nag screen after
30 days. If CDCheck was already installed it pops up immediately.
After registration
you have fully functional copy.

What happens if you *don't* register? Are some functions unavailable?

The registration *requirement* is not clearly spelled out. IMO if
registration is *mandatory* that information should be shown on the
download page. The present setup feels like a booby trap.

I download something that I think is freeware and immediately see
"(UNREGISTERED) 30 day trial". My immediate conclusion is that in 30
days the app will *die*. My immediate reaction is to *remove* it.

The "Your confirmation id is invalid or has been already confirmed!"
appears if you have already confirmed the registration. This also
happens if page gets reloaded in any way.
I have now changed this to be more informative. Also additional info
is given on how to get the free license.

It is difficult to determine what has to be done to obtain a free
license *and* difficult to do it. A simpler registration process would
be helpful - in effect you require people to register *twice* - with no
guarantee of success - one *failure* has been reported here.

Susan

 

[Mitja]

What happens if you *don't* register? Are some functions unavailable?
All functions are available you only get a nag screen everytime you
start.

The registration *requirement* is not clearly spelled out. IMO if
registration is *mandatory* that information should be shown on the
download page. The present setup feels like a booby trap.

I download something that I think is freeware and immediately see
"(UNREGISTERED) 30 day trial". My immediate conclusion is that in 30
days the app will *die*. My immediate reaction is to *remove* it.

Thank you for sharing this opinion!
I have tried to combine free and non-free options as well as I could.
Obviously not yet totally there.

It is difficult to determine what has to be done to obtain a free
license *and* difficult to do it. A simpler registration process would
be helpful - in effect you require people to register *twice* - with no
guarantee of success - one *failure* has been reported here.

I think that the registration was successful and only login and button
click was needed to get the free license. If any one contacts me about
it I also give more information. But as I said I also fixed this -
unfortunately at a price of one or more users.

The registration is a bit longer because as I said I wanted to know
how people use CDCheck. Maybe a bit too long.
However you do get access to CDCheck online! repository in return.

Best regards,
Mitja Perko

Ps.: Please see my site http://elpros.si/CDCheck/ and feel free to
give any more comments. I have changed some text to hopefully make
things more clear.

 

[Susan Bugher]

All functions are available you only get a nag screen everytime you
start.

(SNIP)

Ps.: Please see my site http://elpros.si/CDCheck/ and feel free to
give any more comments. I have changed some text to hopefully make
things more clear.

Hi Mitja,

Thank you for those changes.

The download page now includes this information:

"For personal usage CDCheck is FREE - read more on order page.
(http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/registration.php)"

The order page now includes this information:

"If you decide not to purchase a license, you should request Free
license from CDCheck ONLINE! (you must register
(http://elpros.si/CDCheck/support.php) as CDCheck ONLINE! user, activate
account, login to CDCheck ONLINE! repository and request free license)."

IMO "(UNREGISTERED) 30 day trial" is still going to confuse new users
and cause a bad reaction - particularly the "30 day trial" part.

I suggest you add - Unregistered programs will continue to function
after 30 days. A Nag screen will be displayed when you start the
program. - or something similar.

I signed up for CDCheck online!, got a confirmation email, responded to
that and then logged in as a user. I asked for a registration number and
was given one immediately (displayed on-screen).

IOW - it was easy and everything went smoothly.

You received some bad information though. I *had* to tell you whether it
was easy to use or hard to use, etc. etc. and I haven't tried your
program yet. You might consider a "no opinion" option.

Susan