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In the course of investigating tools for reporting when a Windows computer is "ready for work," I discovered that there is no prepackaged way to cause a WAV file to play in a batch file or other script. Though I found a solution), it was still in source code form, and was pretty Spartan. Since I have access to a good C compiler, I copied it off into a new Visual Studio project, converted the signature so that it would accept wide character inputs, and dressed it up a bit. The result is SoundOff.exe, available in binary form, from [^]](https://github.com/txwizard/SoundOff/blob/master/SoundOff_Binary.ZIP).
The source code is available under a three-clause BSD license from GitHub - txwizard/SoundOff: System Utility to Play a Windows Sound (.WAV) File in a Script. If you clone the project, you get not only the source for that program, but the C/C++ headers that define every entry point in the ten DLLs that come with it. Some of those will be discussed in forthcoming articles.
David A. Gray
Delivering Solutions for the Ages, One Problem at a Time
Interpreting the Fundamental Principle of Tabular Reporting
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Here is a sample windows script (VBS) file that will play a sound file - wav or mp3
Dim oPlayer
Set oPlayer = CreateObject("WMPlayer.OCX")
' define the location / name of the file, or parameterize it for use in a bat file
' Play audio mp3 file
oPlayer.URL = "C:\Users\you\Desktop\Sounds\toilet.mp3"
'OR a wav file
oPlayer.URL = "C:\Users\you\Desktop\Sounds\applause.wav"
oPlayer.controls.play
While oPlayer.playState <> 1 ' 1 = Stopped
WScript.Sleep 100
Wend
' Release the audio file
oPlayer.close
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Though I could easily have implemented it as a Visual Basic script, I prefer a compiled EXE because its use does not depend upon a working Visual Basic Scripting interpreter, which is not a given in some locked down environments.
Nevertheless, for fun, below is my improved implementation, which took maybe an hour to cobble together and test.
<pre lang="vb"> Option Explicit
' ============================================================================
'
' Script Name: SoundOff.VBS
'
' Objective: Cause a shell script to play a sound file to completion.
'
' Command Arguments: SoundFileName = Name of sound file to play
'
' Remarks: This script is a port of SountOff.exe.
'
' ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
' Revision History
' ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'
' Date By Synopsis
' ---------- --- -------------------------------------------------------------
' 2018/05/28 DAG Script created, tested, and deployed
' ============================================================================
const ARGS_NONE = 0
const ARRAY_FIRST_ELEMENT = 0
const ERROR_SUCCESS = 0 ' The status code variable is initialized with the standard Windows "success" status code.
const ERROR_NEEDS_CSCRIPT = 1 ' Status code 1 is reserved for scripts run in Wscript that require CScript.
const ERROR_NO_ARGS = 2 ' Status code 2 is reserved for scripts that require one or more command line arguments to report being called without any.
const ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND = 3
const SLEEP_TIME_100_MILISECS = 100
const WMP_PLAY_STATE_STOPPED = 1
dim intExitCode : intExitCode = ERROR_SUCCESS ' Anticipate success.
dim oArgs : Set oArgs = WScript.Arguments
dim iArgLast : iArgLast = oArgs.Count
if iArgLast > ARGS_NONE then
dim sFileSpec : sFileSpec = oArgs ( ARRAY_FIRST_ELEMENT )
dim oFSO : set oFSO = CreateObject ( "Scripting.FileSystemObject" )
if oFSO.FileExists ( sFileSpec ) then
dim oPlayer : Set oPlayer = CreateObject ( "WMPlayer.OCX" )
oPlayer.URL = sFileSpec ' Define the location / name of the file.
oPlayer.controls.play
While oPlayer.playState <> WMP_PLAY_STATE_STOPPED
WScript.Sleep SLEEP_TIME_100_MILISECS
Wend ' While oPlayer.playState <> WMP_PLAY_STATE_STOPPED
oPlayer.close ' Release the audio file.
else
intExitCode = ReportFileNotFound ( sFileSpec )
end if ' if oFSO.FileExists ( sFileSpec ) then
else
intExitCode = ShowSyntax ( )
end if ' if iArgLast > ARGS_NONE then
WScript.Quit ( intExitCode )
function ReportFileNotFound ( psFileSpec )
' ------------------------------------------------------------------------
'
' Function Name: ReportFileNotFound
'
' Synopsis: Display brief instructions about the syntax, and return
' a nonzero status code, which becomes the return value of
' the script.
'
' Arguments: psFileSpec = Name of file that cannot be found
'
' Returns: The return value is always ERROR_NO_ARGS.
'
' Remarks: This script displays its entire message at once, so that
' it behaves appropriately when run by WScript.exe. Since
' the script is otherwise silent, this adjustment of my
' standard practice permits it to run in either host.
' ------------------------------------------------------------------------
WScript.Echo Wscript.ScriptName & ": sound file " & psFileSpec & " cannot be found."
ShowSyntax = ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND
end function ' ReportFileNotFound
function ShowSyntax ( )
' ------------------------------------------------------------------------
'
' Function Name: ShowSyntax
'
' Synopsis: Display brief instructions about the syntax, and return
' a nonzero status code, which becomes the return value of
' the script.
'
' Arguments: None
'
' Returns: The return value is always ERROR_NO_ARGS.
'
' Remarks: This script displays its entire message at once, so that
' it behaves appropriately when run by WScript.exe. Since
' the script is otherwise silent, this adjustment of my
' standard practice permits it to run in either host.
' ------------------------------------------------------------------------
WScript.Echo "Usage: " & Wscript.ScriptName & " SoundFileName" & vbNewLine & vbNewLine & "where SoundFileName = Name of sound file to play"
ShowSyntax = ERROR_NO_ARGS
end function ' ShowSyntax
David A. Gray
Delivering Solutions for the Ages, One Problem at a Time
Interpreting the Fundamental Principle of Tabular Reporting
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The barycenter symbol is the circle with alternating quarter sections as dark & white, and is the what is at the middle of the BMW automobile logo.
I've been looking around for this and have not been able to find it. It would seem that it has to be included in some font somewhere.
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If you are looking something like below you can try below HTML entities code -
⊕ ( Code - ⊕ ) Circled plus
⊗ ( Code - ⊗) Circled times
modified 20-Sep-20 21:01pm.
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RegOwnershipEx 1.0.0.2 from WinAero (non-commercial personal site of Sergey Tkachenko): [^]. Available in about twenty different languages, including Arabic and Asian languages.
Video demo here: [^].
Features include:Quote: Take ownership and provide full access to selected Registry key.
Restore ownership feature allows you to restore the ownership and access rights that you have changed early. i.e. this is opposite of "take ownership".
Registry browser for easy Registry key selection.
Favorites - for quick access to your favorite Registry locations. It is shared with Favorites menu of Registry Editor!
Registry jump feature - you can open the selected key in Registry Editor. It is a very handy option when you read some tweaking related article and want to jump to the key mentioned in article. Simply copy-paste it into RegOwnershipEx.
Shortcuts for root keys - you may use HKCU instead of HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKLM instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and so on.
Multi language support - you will be able to translate the application into your native language by a simple ini file.
When you open RegOwnershipEx, it analyses your clipboard content. If you copied a Registry path before launching the app, it will be pasted in RegOwnershipEx automatically!
Also, there is a useful /J command line argument. Here is how you can use it. You can copy the path to a Registry key to the clipboard and launch the app as RegOwnershipEx.exe /J
the ability to paste a Registry path with square brackets. You can copy such a path from a REG file and paste it in the app. It will be processed correctly. This also saves you time, since you can just copy the whole line from a REG file without editing.
«When I consider my brief span of life, swallowed up in an eternity before and after, the little space I fill, and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant, and which know me not, I am frightened, and am astonished at being here rather than there; for there is no reason why here rather than there, now rather than then.» Blaise Pascal
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We have been doing lots of typing and copy and paste ever since computers were invented, but we have never seen any tool that extends the clipboard that we use daily. I would like to introduce the new MluSmarEdit which is a tool to extend your ordinary clipboard. This tool enables you to copy up to 10 different texts and paste any of them anytime you want to. Its like having 10 clipboards in one computer. We know that normally you only copy once to a clipboard and when copying again your previous copied data will be overwritten and when you need it again while you are typing that long document or multiple documents you have to copy that again. Well thanks to MCSIDevelopers for their new free MluSmartEdit which enables you to copy 10 different texts and paste them as many as required at any order.
The tool is very easy to use, all you need to do is to check your system tray and see if the MluSmartEdit is active or not. If the icon is green it means its active but if the icon is black it means the the tool is inActive to make it active you need to right click on it and click Start then begin copying or pasting. Remember what you copied while the MluSmartEdit was not active will not be available on the list to paste.
Download it from our websiteor directly.
Your feedback as well as suggestions are welcome. 
MCSIDevelopers developing future systems today.
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If you buy a Micro SD card, it will almost certainly arrive formatted exFAT - which standard Android cannot read (some variant phones can, but if you want to rely on your next phone also supporting it given that changing the format is a data-destructive process that is your decision).
But Android can read FAT32 - but Windows will only format devices up to 32GB as FAT32.
And if you have a dual boot machine, it's really nice to have a card that both OSes can read...
This works in Windows 10: Ridgecrop Consultants Ltd[^] - it's not new, it's not pretty, but it's free, fast, and it works.
I used it today to format a new 128GB Micro SDXC for my dual boot Win10/Android tablet to FAT32 and both OSes read and write it fine. Means I can keep one book collection, one music collection, one set of documents and share them with both OSes.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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I don't know if virtual box (oracle vm) is subject for this discussion (if I can consider it as a free tool simply). But I would like to know if running a Windows o.s. (let's say any version) within the virtual box can preserve the host machine in this sense:
if i run the web browsers and the emailing applications in the virtual box, then do the eventual malware, spyware, virus find a barrier impossible to get trough?
Regards
Roberto
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Not really the correct forum. I think the System Admin Discussion Boards[^] would be better (besides asking this at Quick Answers[^]).
To answer your question:
There would be a barrier as long as the OS in the virtual system has no write access to the file system of the host (shared folders), to external storage devices like USB drives, and to network file shares.
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I wrote this tool using Visual Studio 2013 Ultimate c++. It enumerate and prints all stored WiFi credentials.
Download the tool
Full article plus source code
The Secrets of Wi-Fi Credentials
- Michael Haephrati מיכאל האפרתי
modified 9-Jan-17 9:01am.
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Tool is used for development and maintenance SW that has a trace mechanism (e.g. serial port or standard IO console).
xTracer supports macros and extensions through custom plugins to work with specific protocols, such as CAN and other.
Download
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Super Lloyd wrote: It's a commercial product
And therefore doesn't belong in a "free tools" forum.
Super Lloyd wrote: free community edition
The only "free" versions mentioned on their site are for open-source projects or students. Both require you to contact them to apply for a licence.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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you are absolutely right
I possibly misread.....
can't find the free version (except contact us if you have an open source project)
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A code signing application I have developed can be downloaded for free using this link. It allows code signing using a .pfx certificate file with minimum hassle. Hope you enjoy it. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
- Michael Haephrati מיכאל האפרתי
modified 8-Jan-17 14:18pm.
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Really needs some detailed instructions. I just tried to add a file and got a dialog complaining that it could not read version information.
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The file you should add is a valid Windows executable, and such usually have a version string. However, I will add detailed instructions.
- Michael Haephrati מיכאל האפרתי
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Could be very useful if it worked, or if it told me what I'd done wrong.
Tried to sign a valid windows exe file, with valid version info, but it says:-
Parsing version error (e.g. 1.2.3.4)
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Apart from signing executables, Sign PE also patches the version string, so just enter the version number you wish your executable to have and it should work. Please check http://sign.pe for the most recent version.
- Michael Haephrati מיכאל האפרתי
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This looks quite handy:
A free .NET performance profiler and execution analyzer
Free for for personal and commercial use.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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