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My Personal Ninite Installer

This is basically for my own future reference, but the last few Windows installs I’ve done I’ve used Ninite to install most of my favourite software — easily and quickly!

If you’ve yet to discover it, check it out!  Or if you’d rather just install software other people recommend wihout thinking, you can install my particular favourite software loadout.

Update 15:42 UTC+0100: Just a couple of things that I should mention about the Ninite installer:

• All programs install with a desktop shortcut, which I don’t use.
  • They’re very easy to delete, mind.
• Skype is set to start on Windows start up.
  • This is easy to change on Skype’s log in screen, or using Autoruns below.
• Steam is also set to start on Windows start up.
  • Change this by logging in and disabling it in the Interface tab of the Steam > Settings window, or using Autoruns below.
• Java constantly runs its update scheduler (jusched.exe).
  • Use Autoruns for this one.

The latter three can be easily fixed by downloading Autoruns and deleting their start up entries from the list.  Just don’t go too crazy in Autoruns, as you could cause Windows to stop booting etc. etc.

Update 2010-07-30: My new personal Ninite installer, to reflect new software being added to Ninite!

Phoenix Wright — Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations Soundtrack Download

That was a mouthful of a title.

Over time I’ve played and thoroughly enjoyed the Ace Attorney series of games, from Phoenix Wright to Apollo Justice.  But for those of you familiar to the series, you’ll notice that this is the soundtrack for the third game in the series.  So why have I posted this one?

You see, this soundtrack posting has a small story behind it.  A while back a perfectionist of a soundtrack ripper called TheRedPriest ripped the soundtrack and uploaded it to his website.  He gets wound up by pops and blips in tracks — I can relate to that…

Anyway, unfortunately like so many good things on the web, the website went offline!  Luckily, a member of the forum called GUI uploaded the soundtrack and all was good within the world.

Since I hate having just one mirror for things that have had so much time and effort put into them, and because I like the soundtrack so much, I decided to host the soundtrack for myself.

Just to make it clear: I did not rip this soundtrack or have any input in its ripping!  I am but a simple mirror, wanting to preserve the great work of a video game soundtrack ripper.

Hope that everyone enjoys this as much as I do.

Download the Phoenix Wright — Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations soundtrack.

Fix Windows Sidebar Gadget File Association in Vista

Have you ever somehow managed to break the Gadget file association in Windows Vista?  I have somehow, and that means that you can no longer install gadgets.  Double-clicking a .gadget file does nothing, and the Sidebar offers no option to install gadgets itself!

If you try to re-associate the files with Windows Sidebar by telling to Open With… and navigating to the Sidebar executable, you’ll have found that that doesn’t help — all it does is bring the Sidebar to focus, but doesn’t install the gadget.

Fortunately, help is at hand: all you need to do is download the following archive and apply the registry entries by double-clicking the .reg file inside the archive, and saying Yes at the prompt.

Download Gadget Association registry entries.

All I did was export the corresponding keys from the registry on a Vista machine with a working Sidebar — nothing else!

Hope this helps others like it has me.

Advance Wars 2 Soundtrack Download

Andy, a Commanding Officer from Advance Wars 2

Ah, Advance Wars 2.  What is it about you I thought was so amazing?  The lovable, single-minded cast?  The deep turn-based strategy?  The little battle animations of infantry flying off the screen?

Well, okay, all of those things are very good reasons to love the game, but there’s another one that sticks out for me too.

The soundtrack!

Once I completed the normal campaign and could buy the Sound Room, that was it.  Time and again I’ve inserted the cart into my GBA purely for the reason of enjoying the music on an infinite loop.

Yes, I am that way inclined as a person, but there’s something about this soundtrack that keeps me coming back.  I’m not sure if it’s the enthusiastic beats or the simple, catchy tunes, but this is one soundtrack I struggle to put down.

But anyway, enough of me rambling about game soundtracks; judge for yourself!  Ripped by yours truly and packaged as 192kbps MP3s, the Advance Wars 2 soundtrack is one you should definitely have in your library if you enjoy the game or the kind of music you get from a GBA.

Download the Advance Wars 2 Soundtrack.

Also available from another site I co-run, Black Hole Headquarters.