Category Archives: broken/WTF

NCH VideoPad is an excellent “free” video editor.

I would recommend VideoPad heartily if NCH didn’t crap on their own work.

But unfortunately “free” needs those scare quotes, because its installer just behaves badly.  Here’s how, and my answer to each:

1. The installer tries to sneak on several irrelevant crapware apps.
   → This is unfortunately common.  Always click “custom” and uncheck the extras.
2. Without notice or permission, it pollutes your start menu with web links to other products.
   → Less common, but easy to just delete.
3. It gets worse: The add context menu links which prompt you to download and install their Express Zip tool.
   → Download ShellMenuView to remove the menu entries.
4. The topper: It associates a raft of file extensions to their “Install On Demand Component”.  So when you click on a .DOC or PDF file, you don’t get Word/Wordpad or Adobe Reader, you get railroaded into downloading and installing their Doxillion app.
   → Nobody else had an answer, so I tracked down the registry entries to remove.  Here’s what it looks like as a .reg file:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\docfile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\docxfile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NitroPDFReader.Document.3\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\odtfile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\rtffile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\wpdfile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\wpfile\Shell\NCHconvertdoc]

   (Save as a reg file and run it, or manually delete those paths yourself.)

It’s a shame — VideoPad has a paid premium version with more features, and I would recommend it heartily if NCH didn’t crap on their own work.

Possible alternative: it looks like <a href=”http://portableapps.com/node/19682″>you can make VideoPad Portable.</a>  That certainly keeps it clean.

So Microsoft is about to sell its own hardware running Windows.    And Acer is unhappy, because Microsoft is effectively competing with its own partners.

Now, working for a Microsoft Partner, I can understand the feeling.  I have my beefs with Microsoft, like how they’ve just disenfranchised Small Business Specialists and cut down Small Business Server at the knees. 
(The 30-day discontinuation of SBS on SA is really throwing us for a loop now, since we relied on TechSoup to provide affordable solutions to non-profits, and Techsoup only has SA software, not OEM).

But consider this:

Acer and their ilk have been making Windows suck.

How so?   What do you think you should get to do after first powering up your brand-new computer?   Hours manually uninstalling paid Norton or McAfee trials, a dozen manufacturer addons, and a dozen more partner promotions?   Me either.    Here’s our experience:

• Once upon a time, we manually removed the junk, as a labor of love. 
• A few years ago we started using PC-Decrapifier to help automate the process, followed by CCleaner for the remnants.  Down to an hour or so…
• Last year, we started wiping the (brand new) systems, and scratch installing from Microsoft’s own media.   It’s some upfront work, but actually faster, and the result is so much better.  (The only downside is tracking down weird laptop drivers).

Last week we bought an Acer netbook, and (for some crazy reason) gave their install a shot.   After powering up and doing some standard Windows configuration, Acer started their first-run customization process .   Now I’ve done this a LOT, and know this process should take about minute or two.  

Instead, it took 45 minutes, and crashed with a BSOD.

Then, after finally getting past “buy me” promos, it was sluggish.   Task Manager showed 35% CPU gone to a McAfee trial, and 67% RAM used overall, when I HAD RUN NO PROGRAMS YET.   Did we buy a pet to run for our amusement, and do nothing useful?

Dear Acer, I don’t like the idea of Microsoft taking their ball back either, but you dropped it, and someone’s gotta run the bases.  

P.S.  Also noteworthy about the Microsoft shift is that’s how Apple sells:  unified software AND hardware.  Other criticisms aside, Apple delivers a pretty tight package.