Installing EZPrompt v6.0 .0 & Transferring The License

EZPrompt Version 6.0 is a 100% ®Windows-based Prompting software for use by:

• Television Stations
• Production Houses
• News Organizations
• Public Speakers

EZPrompt Version 6.0 has been tested with Microsoft ®Windows 7, ®Windows Vista, ®Windows XP Professional, and ®Windows XP Home. Acceptable performance has also been reported on ®Windows 2000 Professional Systems.

EZPrompt Version 6.0  can load most standard word processor files, and includes its own powerful text editor/spell-checker. (Important: See the topic Office 2007 Advisory)

This release includes EZPrompt Direct, a separate utility that permits the user to launch EZPrompt Version 6.0 directly and immediately begin prompting.

There are three (3) optional modules available for EZPrompt Version 6.0 .0

PowerPoint Module: EZPrompt Version 6.0 supports the use of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and slideshows, which can be synchronized to the script as they scroll through the prompter. The PowerPoint feature requires dual monitors, and is an optional module that requires an additional license. It is enabled during the demo period to give you an opportunity to evaluate it and make an informed purchasing decision.

Caption (Closed Captioning) Module: EZPrompt Version 6.0 supports Closed Captioning of text. Closed Captioning is an optional module that requires an additional license. With Closed Captioning enabled, text is fed to the Closed Caption Encoder (not included) as it is scrolled through the prompter. Contact ADS Sales for additional information.

Rundown (Multi-Script Rundown) Module: EZPrompt Version 6.0 supports use of multiple scripts and user-definable rundowns. EZRundown is an optional module that requires an additional license. Contact ADS Sales for additional information.

EZPrompt Version 6.0 is a product of:

    Automated Data Systems of Wisconsin, Inc.

    115 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 500

    La Crosse, WI 54601

    608.785.1415 - Fax: 608.785-1478

    tech@autodatasys.com

  

Installation Guide

Internet Installation

• Go to http://www.ezprompt.com ... to Download
• Select EZPrompt Version 6.0 's Setup.exe file (Setup60.msi or Setup60.exe) from the list
• Provide requested information. An authorization link will be emailed to you, so make sure information you provide is accurate.
• Download Setup.exe and save to your computer's hard drive. Do not let your browser try to open the file while you are connected to the website.
• Run the setup program and follow on-screen instructions in the EZPrompt Version 6.0  installation program.
• When installation is completed, it is recommended you restart your computer.

CD-ROM Installation

• Insert EZPrompt Version 6.0  CD in the CD-ROM drive of your computer
• On most systems, the installer program will start and ask if you wish to continue.
• If the installed program does not start automatically, click your computer's Start button, and choose RUN
• Type D:\SETUP60 (substituting the drive letter assigned to you CD) and touch ENTER.
• Follow on-screen instructions in the EZPrompt Version 6.0  installation program.
• When installation is completed, it is recommended you restart your computer.

Run the program & load sample doc.

Press Prompt Now or F2 for shorcut key

Make sure you register your software

ADS will provide customer support and software updates for a period of 1 year for registered users. Upon receipt of your software registration, ADS will provide information on accessing updates and customer support services.

Hardware Requirements

EZPrompt Version 6.0 requires no proprietary hardware, and only requires the computer and memory resources specified by Microsoft for their ®Windows 7 (all releases), ®Windows Vista (all releases), and ®Windows XP Professional.

EZPrompt Version 6.0  also can provide acceptable performance on older, obsolete Operating Systems (®Windows 2000 Professional, ®Windows NT Workstation, ®Windows '98SE, and  ®Windows ME).

EZPrompt Version 6.0  may not provide acceptable performance on ®Windows '98 and ®Windows '95. It will not operate under ®Windows 3.1, or ®Windows for Workgroups.

For best performance, it is recommended, but not required, that the computer you will use EZPrompt Version 6.0  on have the following minimum resources:

• 1 GHz 32-bit processor.
• 1GB or more RAM
• Accelerator video card with 32mb or more memory (recommend DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM).
• Wheel mouse (Microsoft ®IntelliMouse or ®Logitech First Mouse Plus)

EZPrompt Version 6.0  includes a standard ®Windows-based text editor and spell-checker. In addition, EZPrompt Version 6.0  can import documents from virtually any Windows-based word processor that saves files in any of the following formats:

• MS Word (all versions)(*.doc)
• EZPrompt Version 6.0  Text (*.txd)
• Rich Text (*.rtf)
• ASCII Text (*.txt)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Documents that are linked to Microsoft PowerPoint presentations must be saved as EZPrompt Documents (.EZP)

System Requirements

EZPrompt Version 6.0 has been carefully engineered to operate on computers that are running under Microsoft's ®Windows 7 (all releases), ®Windows Vista (all releases), ®Windows XP Professional, and ®Windows XP Home operating systems.

Depending on hardware, available resources, drivers that are loaded, etc. it may also function under ®Windows 2000 Professional,  ®Windows ME, ®Windows NT Workstation, and ®Windows 98SE, however ADS makes no claim to support these operating systems.

Computers

Computer hardware and the drivers required for various hardware components vary significantly. Thus, it is not possible to test the software on every conceivable hardware configuration. The ADS testing program is aimed at name-brand machines readily available over the counter at most computer dealers and retailers.

In general, EZPrompt Version 6.0  will operate on Pentium computers that run at 800mHz (or faster), with 128mb (or more) of RAM.

It must be understood, however, that older computers with limited resources may not perform as well as up to date computers with resources that are appropriate to the software and operating system.

It is recommended that the computer running EZPrompt Version 6.0  be equipped with at least a 4mb VGA video adapter.

Some systems will operate satisfactorily with 1mb video adapters with one caveat: the mirroring function (required for use with LCD panels) works best on computers with 2mb or more of Video Memory. With the mirroring function enabled, machines with 1mb video adapters may experience a less stable scroll.

Mouse vs. Touchpad

On machines with touch pads, speed control is difficult at best. This is due to the way touch pads work and has nothing to due with the EZPrompt Version 6.0  software. On machines that have touch pads an external mouse is recommended.

EZPrompt Version 6.0  and Networks

With respect to Local Area Networks (LAN), EZPrompt Version 6.0  is not a network application, and cannot be used in a multiple user configuration. That being said, EZPrompt Version 6.0  will operate on computers attached to networks. EZPrompt Version 6.0  has been tested on machines running on Microsoft NT networking, with both NetBEUI and TCP/IP protocols.

EZPrompt Version 6.0  makes no network calls, and is not using any IRQ or memory areas typically assigned to networks.

 

Transferring The License

EZPrompt Version 6.0 is LICENSED SOFTWARE, and the license permits you to run only one instance of EZPrompt Version 6.0  for each license you have purchased. In other words, you cannot use this license on more than one computer. If you need to run EZPrompt Version 6.0  on more than one machine, you should either:

• Transfer the License if your need is for occasional use on a second machine, or
• Purchase additional licenses to satisfy your requirements. Contact the dealer you purchased EZPrompt Version 6.0  from or ADS for further information on additional licenses.

To Transfer the License from one machine to another, you will need to be able to access the same removable media on both the machine that has the licensed copy of software (referred to here as the LICENSED MACHINE) and the machine you wish to transfer the license to (referred to here as the UNLICENSED MACHINE).

Removable media is defined as:

• A blank, pre-formatted floppy disk
• A standard USB jump drive (sometimes referred to as a 'thumb drive')
• A rewritable CD-ROM (CD-RW)
• You may also use a mapped networked drive which is accessible to both computers.
• You will also need the EZPrompt Version 6.0  setup program (on either a CD-ROM from the manufacturer or software downloaded from EZPrompt.com).

The procedure is as follows:

1.	First, you must have the same version of EZPrompt Version 6.0  installed on BOTH computers.

On the UNLICENSED MACHINE

2.	Run EZPrompt Version 6.0  on the UNLICENSED MACHINE
3.	If the demo period on the UNLICENSED MACHINE has expired, the Registration dialog asking for an Activation Code will come up. Click the Prepare Transfer button
4.	If the demo period on the UNLICENSED MACHINE has not expired, dismiss the demo period advisories, click the License menu and select Register. The Registration dialog asking for an Activation Code will come up. Click the Prepare Transfer button.
5.	You will be prompted for the License Transfer Path. You can either: a.        Type the drive letter for your removable media, or … b.        Use the Browse button to locate your removable media or network drive.
6.	When you click OK, the removable media will be prepared.

On the LICENSED MACHINE

7.	Go to the LICENSED MACHINE (the one with the EZPrompt Version 6.0  license), and start EZPrompt Version 6.0
8.	Click the License menu and select Transfer.
9.	You will be prompted for the License Transfer Path. You can either: a.        Type the drive letter for your removable media, or … b.        Use the Browse button to locate your removable media or network drive.
10.	Follow the on-screen instructions
11.	The license will be transferred to the removable media … the machine that had been previously been licensed is now un-licensed.

On the UNLICENSED MACHINE

12.	On the UNLICENSED MACHINE (the one you want to transfer your license to), run EZPrompt Version 6.0 .
13.	When you get the dialog box asking for an Activation Code click the Transfer License button.
14.	You will be prompted to supply the drive letter for the removable media. You can either: a.        Type the drive letter for your removable media, or … b.        Use the Browse button to locate your removable media or network drive.
15.	When the removable media is found, the license will be transferred.

You can transfer the licensing data from one computer to the other as often as you like.

  

How to Create and Configure a VHD in Windows 7

One of the most anticipated features of Windows 7 is its native Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) features, the format that is used in Virtual PC and similar virtualization platforms.

Windows 7′s VHD support will give users the ability to install any operating system that supports booting from a VHD into a VHD. For example, a user could have Vista installed on a single partition, and then have three files (VHDs) anywhere on that disk (or for that matter, on any partition that is readable by Windows) and be able to boot different versions of Windows 7. Assuming that SP1 and SP2 were released (which they are not yet available), a user could hypothetically have four operating systems on a single partition (the number is only limited by the bootloader, four is actually just a random number selected), like so:

• Vista installed on a primary partition (such as “C:”).
• Windows 7 RTM installed within a VHD (such as “C:Windows7.vhd”).
• Windows 7 SP1 installed within another VHD (such as “C:Windows7SP1.vhd”).
• Windows 7 SP2 installed within yet another VHD (such as “C:Windows7SP2.vhd”).

Of course, the number of VHDs is virtually unlimited, but it’s quite easy to see the hype associated with VHDs in Windows 7. Now, as for creating a VHD in Windows 7:

How to Create and Manage a VHD in Windows 7 

1. Go to the Start Menu (or Desktop) and right click “My Computer” and click “Manage.” This is the easiest way to access Computer Management, but it can also be accessed via the Administrative Tools as “Computer Management.”

2. Now click on “Disk Management” under “Storage” in the sidebar. This will present you with a list of partitions on your computer. Now, to create a VHD, you can either right click “Disk Management” and click “Create VHD” or you can go to “Actions > Create VHD.”

3. This should cause a new window to appear, titled “Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk.” Now, specify where you would like your .VHD stored (you can type the location or use the “Browse” function shown.” Then select a size (remember that you can choose between MB (Megabytes), GB (Gigabytes), or TB (Terabytes). Now, here comes an important option that is entirely down to user choice.

Selecting the Dynamically Expanding format means that as the files within the VHD increase in size, so will the VHD in question. Unfortunately, this format is a little slower than a Fixed Size format, which allocates all space selected immediately (meaning that even if the files inside the VHD measure, for example, 200MB, the disk will still be 600MB (assuming that you selected 600MB for the size of the disk)). However, a Dynamically Expanding disk can be quite useful for those hurting for disk space; even so, it’s entirely your choice, either format will do. Just make sure that the size of the disk is large enough to handle whatever you plan on placing inside of it. When you’re done, click “OK.”

On a writer’s note, I personally prefer Fixed Size disks.

4. Now, we need to initialize the disk so that Windows can access it. To do so, scroll down (if needed) inside of the detailed partition map at the bottom of Disk Management and find the disk that you just created (percentage bar should be black inside of blue). Now, click the button where it says Disk 2, Unknown (yes, it’s actually a button). You can then either right click the button and select “Initialize Disk” or go to “Action > All Tasks > Initialize Disk.”

5. This should bring up a new window titled “Initialize Disk.” Make sure that your new disk is checked and select “MBR” (I do not suggest selecting GPT unless you know why you need it). Afterwards, click “OK.” This will initialize the disk and allow you to create your first partition on the disk. To do so, either right click the “Unallocated” box and select “New Simple Volume” or go to “Action > All Tasks > New Simple Volume.” 

6. This will present us with a new window titled “New Simple Volume Wizard.” Click “Next.” Unless you want to create two partitions on this disk, simply click “Next” again (if you would like to create two partitions, then make sure that you edit the simple volume size to leave some free space on the disk; however, most users will not need this option). If you would like to mount the disk with the new partition as a separate volume (allowing you to access it in Explorer with a different drive letter), then simply click “Next.” However, if you would prefer to have the disk mounted as a folder (for example, the root of the disk would be located at something like “C:tmp”), then select “Mount in the following empty NTFS folder” and either type the location of the folder or click “Browse,” select the folder, and click “Next.” If you don’t want to access the partition whatsoever yet, then select the third choice and click “Next.” Now, unless you know what you are doing, simply select a Volume Label and click “Next.” You can now review your choices (and optionally go back and change anything); afterwards, click “Finish.” 

7. Your new VHD should now be accessible.

This was originally going to be a full guide on VHDs for Windows 7; however, I have decided to split it into several parts (I will eventually cover how to install Windows 7 into the VHD, how to attach and remove the VHD, and how to add the VHD to the bootloader in Vista, as described in the beginning of this document) as it has become way too long to add anything else (1001 words). So keep an eye out for my next article.

How To Create A Partition In Windows 7

Similarly to Windows Vista, Windows 7 has a built in utility to partition a hard drive. Many people like to partition their hard drive for multiple reasons. To boot from a different OS This isn’t necessary any more if you have Windows 7 Ultimate, which supports booting from a VHD, see here or to help you manage where you store files and programs etc… particularly if you have a large hard drive.

1. Go to Start -> Right Click My Computer -> Manage

2. You will then be brought to the Computer Management Program

3. Click on the Storage bar and under it click on Disk Management

4. Then select the Drive you want to partition, In this example I will select the Drive D: “Vista”

5. Now right click on the drive and select Shrink Volume

6. You will then be presented with a Window showing you the Size of the Hard drive and the total amount available to Shrink. Since my hard drive is quite full I have a smaller amount available to Shrink. Enter in the amount you would like to shrink ( This will be the size of the new partition ) It can’t be more than the amount available to you and remember that Approx 1000 Mb = 1 GB

7. After you have entered your values, click shrink and let it do it’s thing. Depending on the size of the drive and amount to shrink this could take a while. Just be patient and once it’s done you will see an unallocated space which is the size you just shrunk the volume by. Select it and right click and then select New Simple Volume

8. Follow the Wizard that appears and fill in the Size of the Partition, Generally the size you just shrunk the drive by.

9. Assign a drive letter, Pick one of your choice it doesn’t make a difference

10. Then on the Format page, Ensure NTFS is selected and then Enter a name for your Drive – ie. “Music” and click next followed by finish 

There you have it, A new partition on your hard drive to do what you like with it.

Install XP from USB with USB Multiboot 10

The Batch Program USB_MultiBoot.cmd can prepare a Bootable USB-Stick, which can be used to Install XP from USB. Install from USB-Drive is of general use, it's convenient and faster than installing from CD or DVD, but is limited to computers that are able to boot from USB, as determined by BIOS and Motherboard.

Updating and Changing an USB-stick is also easier than preparing a new Bootable CD or DVD. Install XP from USB is very useful when the computer does not have a optical drive, like e.g. ASUS Eee subnotebook.

Preparing a Bootable USB-Drive with USB_MultiBoot.cmd Involves:

Download Link: File1 or File2

* Format USB-stick like a Bootable Harddisk Drive with NTLDR BootSector
using PeToUSB or HP USB Format Tool
* Select from the Main Menu of USB_MultiBoot.cmd

Here's SS steps.

Installing XP from USB requires a Reboot from USB-Drive
and Select from Boot Menu: 1. Begin TXT Mode Setup Windows XP

As the world is being taken over by Netbooks. This may come in useful. Netbooks are great but they have no CD/DVD drive with this you can Install a full size version of any XP onto a USB drive. You can then install Windows XP to your Netbook over and over. This can be used on any PC though not just machines without CD/DVD drives Has instructions and also a 5min video tutorial. Your USB drive must be at least 1GB.

WGANotify Remover

RemoveWGA will enable you to easily remove the Microsoft "Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications" tool, which is calling home and connect to MS servers every time you boot. Futures updates of this notification tool will (officialy) setup the connection rate to once every two weeks. Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot.

Download Link: File1 or File2