-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Filmerit 3.0.8 by Paul Glagla - 2007, May the 14th Visit my website http://paul.glagla.free.fr/index_en.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) What is Filmerit? Filmerit is a freeware application for cleaning and managing the DirectShow filters. Filmerit is in fact the Rolls-Royce of directshow filter management, with powerful functions: - display the list of all directshow filters registered in your system, with all their properties, and the version information of the associated server file. Filters are can be sorted by filter categories, by alpahbetical order, by merits or by server files. The program tests the integrity of the filters and colors in red the lines with errors. Since version 3.0.0, Filmerit lists the four categories of filters: directshow, compression manager, DMO and plug-and-play. It can even show the inactive plug-and-play filters. - save this list with all properties in a zip file with all its information, in order to archive the data for a future comparison, or to send it to someone by mail for an analysis... Inside the zip the data is listed either in a raw text file or in a rich-text-format file with format. - display in a second panel, the data from a saved zip file, in order to see the differences with the current system. Two saved files may also be compared. This is very useful when installing an application or a pack of codecs: you make a snapshot before and after installation and see exactly what changes have been made. - modify the Merits of one or several filters. Merits are numeric values attached to filters, which define their priority level in multimedia applications. Modify them if you want to fine tune your applications. Sometimes some new added filters have a too high Merit, hiding better filters which can no more operate. Decrease their Merit with Filmerit is sometimes a good solution, better then to snipe them. - save and load "Merit configurations". If you have modified some Merits on your system in order to fine tune a multimedia application, you may save them in a log file, and then restore the original system. Filmerit can later load the saved merits again and assign them to your filters when your mutimedia application needs it. So you may create temporarly configurations, or various configurations for your various applications, and resolve by this way even the most inextricable conflicts - delete erroneous filters. Filmerit deletes carefully all obsolete, erroneous filters, but without deleting useful files or data, for instance data that is necessary for other filters or for a future reinstallation of filters. When Filmerit deletes values or keys, you may be sure that it is unusable data, or data which will create confusion in your registry. Filmerit never deletes files, but only keys and values in the registry. - reinstall correctly filters which were deleted when the corresponding server file is still available. The server files are files (often with extension .ax or .dll) which contain the filter code. Usually to install a filter when a server file is known you call something like "regsvr32.exe server.ax". Filmerit launches automatically this command for the filters which are selected for beeing repaired. You may even drag and drop a server file on the window of Filmerit in order to install it without need of regsvr32. - finally, Filmerit has a "magic button" . If you click on it, all erroneous records of filters are deleted from the registry, and the corresponding server files are reinstalled. It is the simplest way to maintain a clean and healthy system!. Two principles are respected by Filmerit 3.x.x: - safety when dealing with the registry. I know that the registry is a sensitive part of Windows. Filmerit stays in a secure Read-Only mode as long as it does not have to modify, write or delete something in the Registry. When it has to, it asks for your permission, and proposes (in Windows Xp or Vista) to create first a Restore point. It is warmly recommended to accept it. Note that you must be an administrator if you want to leave the Read-Only mode. Under Vista, you should either desactivate the UAC (User Account Control), or launch Filmerit as an administrator (right click on its icon). - user friendliness. Its interface has many features in order to make lige comfortable for its users. Try it, look at the hints, and you will be surprised by all the possibilities. With these two principles, Filmerit is much more recommended than other programs, like Codec Snipper, that are less secure and comfortable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) How to install /uninstall or launch Filmerit? Filmerit needs no installation. Just unzip the exe-file into a folder, and launch it by double-clicking on it. At first start, FILMERIT is in mode Read-Only mode, and prevents any modification of the registry. If you want to make modifications among the filters ,you will have to unlock the program by clicking on the padlock button (on top right) or by typing CTRL+L. FILMERIT writes nothing into the registry when launched. If you do no change in the settings, Filmerit will save your preferences into the registry when you quit. In the about panel (F10) you may change this behavior, either save nothing, or save the preferences into an ini file instead of the registry. To uninstall FILMERIT, Delete the preferences (About button (F10), Preferences tab) to clean eventually the registry, and delete the exe-file for FILMERIT, for example filmerit_21en.exe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) IMPORTANT WARNING Filmerit is freeware, but only for personal use. Professional use by a company, an administration or during any professional activities is ILLEGAL. If you need to use it in such circumstances, please contact me for a licence. You may learn how to get a licensed version on this web page: http://paul.glagla.free.fr/filmerit_licence_en.htm Filmerit may be distributed freely, for instance on Internet or in freeware/shareware compilations. It may not be sold. It is not open source, so please don't ask me for the source code. It is delivered "as is" without any warranty, use it at your own risk. It obeys to a simple principle:"It works well for me, perhaps it will work well for you, but perhaps not. Try it by yourself and please report all comments and issues in order to improve my productions". Filmerit works massively with the windows registry when not in Read-Only mode, so let me remind that it is highly recommended to save the registry before processing, that is to make a Restore point if you are in Windows XP or Vista. Filmerit will propose to make one each time when you want to leave the Read-Only Mode. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) WHAT'S NEW IN FILMERIT 3.X.X? The version 3.0.2 published in English on April the 21st, 2007 is a major update of Filmerit 2.1, with many new features. It would be impossible to give here all details. The main new features are: * Filmerit can analyze four types of filters, namely the directshow filters, the DMO filters,the Compression Manager filters, and the Plug-and-Play filters. It can even show the inactive plug-and-play filters, for example if you have once upon a time connected a DV camcorder on your computer, the will remain a PnP inactive filter called "Microsoft DV Camera and VCR". * The list of filters may be sorted, either by categories, or by alphabetical order, or by merit values,(it is convenient to see immediately which filters have to high merits, and hide other filters), either according to the server file. * The list of filters (with all their characteristics) may be saved in a zip file, containing either raw text, either a rtf file with formatted text, better to read. * For a better safety, Filmerit tries to create a Restore Point before leaving the "Read-Only mode". * Filmerit supports Windows Vista. You know that Vista protects very sharply the registry keys. Filmerit will have to be launched with administrator rights in order to access to the registry keys. Thus, either inactive the UAC (User account Control) or better launch it with a right-click on its icon, and choose "Run as an administrator". * Filmerit can be a "portable" application, that is to say an application that can be run from an USB key and does not install data in the registry of the host system ): you may indeed save the preferences now in ini files instead of the registry. * The size of the window of Filmerit may be modified, even set to full screen, in order to have a better comfort when working with it. ******************************************************************************************* Filmerit 3.0.3 published in English on 2007, April 23th ******************************************************************************************* * Fixes some missing translation in the "About panel", thanks to Rolf K?bke, from Germany * Changes the default behavior to: Do not save the preferences. * The clipboard is no longer locked by Filmerit * The popu menu on a filter is fixed (command "copy the filename" instead of repeating "copy the filtername") ******************************************************************************************* Filmerit 3.0.4 published in English on 2007, April 27th ******************************************************************************************* * The test com...
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