Winkey not working properly in Vista

[Larry]

I'm a heavy user of Winkey. This free utility was created by Copernic, but
then a few years ago they stopped supporting it, though it's still available
for free download from different websites.

I installed Winkey on a friend's Windows Vista laptop and created some
Winkey combinations. But then after the computer was turned off and turned
on again, while the already installed Winkey assignments still worked, it
was not possible to open the Winkey application itself in order to create
more Winkey assignments. When I press Winkey+F9, which normally opens the
Winkey application, I get an error message that says:

Application Error
Exception EOleError in module Winkey Mgr.exe
At 0005.BE9C
Error creating system registry entry.

The only thing to do once this happens is to re-install the Winkey program.
It then opens normally again and I can access the Winkey program and make
new assignments. But when the computer is turned off and turned on again,
once again the program cannot be opened, though the existing assignments
work.

Is there some incompability between Vista and Winkey that prevents Winkey
from operating in the Vista environment? Or is there some way to install it
differently so that it will keep working?

Thanks,
Larry

 

[XS11E]

Is there some incompability between Vista and Winkey that prevents
Winkey from operating in the Vista environment? Or is there some
way to install it differently so that it will keep working?

You've answered your own question, "but then a few years ago they
stopped supporting it", so I doubt that a fix is in the works.

Your best bet would be to try and find a similar application that is
currently supported and works with Vista. Google will assist you with
that.

 

[Larry]

Well, Winkey hasn't been changed since version 2 came out in, like 1999. It
worked in Windows 98, 98SE, ME, and XP. So there's no particular reason it
shouldn't work in Vista.

It's really a shame. Winkey is one of the most useful utilities there is.
It makes it possible to have up 200 easily assignable Winkey combinations so
that instead of the Windows key only being used for a couple of things, it
can used for starting applications, folders, documents, webpages, running
..vbs files, anything. I can't imagine using Windows without it. Yet
Copernic didn't value it enough to maintain it, and Microsoft didn't value
it enough to include it in Windows.

 

[XS11E]

It's really a shame. Winkey is one of the most useful utilities
there is.

And I, like most people, couldn't find any possible use for it.

Different people like different things and the software publishers go
along with what's popular. It's always disappointing when a bit of
software we like goes away but if it doesn't sell, it's adios and
there's nothing to be done about it.

 

[Larry]

And I, like most people, couldn't find any possible use for it.

Well, aren't you the superior one.

There are, say a billion computer users in the world. Do you really think
that the survival of a free utility depends on 500 million people using it?

 

[Lang Murphy]

Well, aren't you the superior one.

<snip>

I don't think that was XS11E's intent at all... to come off as "superior."

That said, have you tried running the WinKey exe with "run as
administrator?" (If that works, you can go into the properties for the exe
and check the check box to always "run as administrator".) Have you tried
different compatibility modes?

Lang

 

[Larry]

That said, have you tried running the WinKey exe with "run as
administrator?" (If that works, you can go into the properties for the exe
and check the check box to always "run as administrator".) Have you tried
different compatibility modes?

If I manage to check it to "run as administrator," what effect does that
have? What would I do next?

I hadn't heard of compatibility modes before. With google I've found
something on it re Windows XP., called Program Compatibility Mode: "In
most cases, Windows XP allows you to get these programs working again, using
a feature called Program Compatibility Mode."

Also, via Google I see that in Vista there's something called the Program
Compatibility Assistant. I'm not at the Vista computer now and will check
this out. Thanks.

 

[Larry]

That said, have you tried running the WinKey exe with "run as

administrator?" (If that works, you can go into the properties for the exe
and check the check box to always "run as administrator".) Have you tried
different compatibility modes?

Assuming I can find these compatibility modes in Vista, at what point in the
process do I use them? How do I access the compatibility modes feature for
a certain program? Is it on the .exe file's properties page? (Again I'm
not working at the Vista computer now.)

 

[XS11E]

Well, aren't you the superior one.

No, nor am I a complete jerk who can't understand what he reads.

There are, say a billion computer users in the world. Do you
really think that the survival of a free utility depends on 500
million people using it?

The survival of any software depends on the need for it, if people no
longer want or need it, it will vanish as did Winkey.

 

[Lang Murphy]

Assuming I can find these compatibility modes in Vista, at what point in
the
process do I use them? How do I access the compatibility modes feature
for
a certain program? Is it on the .exe file's properties page? (Again I'm
not working at the Vista computer now.)

Yes, both compatiblity settings and priviledge settings are on the
compatibility tab in the properites for your exe. I know your exe is running
via startup or reg setting so you may need to make changes and logoff or
restart your computer to see if the changes work. Or close your exe and kick
it off after making the changes to the exe.

Good luck; let us know how things proceed.

Lang

 

[Larry]

I've tried it all, several different ways. I used the Compatibility wizard
or whatever it's called and changed the compatibility on Winkey to Windows
98. But, once again, after the computer was turned off and turned on again,
it was not possible to open the Winkey program, even though the previously
assigned Winkey combinations still worked.

Is there any reason why the Compatibility feature would work with one
utility, but not with another, that might enable some way of getting around
this problem?

 

[Andrew McLaren]

Is there any reason why the Compatibility feature would work with one
utility, but not with another, that might enable some way of getting
around
this problem?

Sure. The number of ways in which a program can be incompatible are as
numerous as the number of programs themselves. The App Compatibility layer
canot hope to fix all, or even a fraction, of the possible compatibility
problems. Instead, it tries to add shims to fix the top 30 or so
compatibility issues. This will fix the largest number of problems - the
"low-hanging fruit", so to speak - but there is a long, thin tail of
problems which stretch from "not very common" to "unique"; which not even
the Compatibility layer can touch.

Winkey works by doing some funky low-level hooking of KeyboardProc(), deep
inside Windows - so it's not surprisng it is easily broken by a version
change.

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> "Andrew

Winkey works by doing some funky low-level hooking of KeyboardProc(), deep
inside Windows - so it's not surprisng it is easily broken by a version
change.

And for the same reason it's not a likely candidate for compatibility
modes to work.

 

[STAN STARINSKI]

Whiskey can work instead.

 

[MARTHA STARINSKI]

Whiskey can work instead.

Better start drinking right away. Right after you change your ****ing
clock.