WAD TCMD 14 Beta

Jan 19, 2011
614
15
Norman, OK
I figure we should get a thread started about the new beta since I think I found a bug.

Was trying out the new DESKTOP command to see exactly what it did (it's like the multiple desktops you have in various *NIX distributions).

TCC 14.00.14, Win XP SP3
Code:
DESKTOP /C TEST
Created a new desktop with all the icons of my original desktop. That worked fine. However, when I hit WindowsKey-E to open up Windows Explorer, so I could make a new instance of TCC 14 so I could switch back to the default desktop, no Windows Explorer appeared. I hit it again, still no luck. Went to START>RUN and fired up TCC from there and switched back to the DEFAULT desktop. That is where I found the two Windows Explorer windows that I had started on the TEST desktop.

Looking interesting so far. I'm SOOOO ready to try the TPIPE command.

Edit: How do I get rid of (close/delete) a desktop that I've created?
 
Jan 19, 2011
614
15
Norman, OK
Help file. TPIPE command. Command "Format:" instructions use a serif font (Times New Roman?) instead of the sans-serif font (Arial?) used by other commands.
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
I too would like to know how to get rid of a desktop.
One way: use TaskMgr to kill the desktop's associated EXPLORER.EXE (if you can figure out which EXPLORER.EXE that is). Having done so, trying to switch there gives

TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
"newdt"
 
Jan 19, 2011
614
15
Norman, OK
One way: use TaskMgr to kill the desktop's associated EXPLORER.EXE (if you can figure out which EXPLORER.EXE that is).
I did that from the TEST desktop I had created and it left me with the desktop without any icons. Since Task Manager was still running, I was able to start a new Explorer.exe instance and get the icons back.
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
I did that from the TEST desktop I had created and it left me with the desktop without any icons. Since Task Manager was still running, I was able to start a new Explorer.exe instance and get the icons back.
Had you, instead, closed TaskMgr, you'd have been is a real pickle ... a completely empty desktop ... C-A-D-StartTaskMgr starts TaskMgr on the original desktop. I had to C-A-D-Logoff.
 

rconn

Administrator
Staff member
May 14, 2008
12,557
167
Created a new desktop with all the icons of my original desktop. That worked fine. However, when I hit WindowsKey-E to open up Windows Explorer, so I could make a new instance of TCC 14 so I could switch back to the default desktop, no Windows Explorer appeared. I hit it again, still no luck. Went to START>RUN and fired up TCC from there and switched back to the DEFAULT desktop. That is where I found the two Windows Explorer windows that I had started on the TEST desktop.

That's a Windows feature/bug, not TCC. I've seen plenty of people complaining about it, but I've never seen a workaround or fix.
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
Does TCC start explorer on the new desktop or does Windows do that automatically? Perhaps DESKTOP could be enhanced with an option to start an app on the new desktop (STARUPINFO::lpDesktop).

I have read:

IIRC, desktops are reference counted, so they're destroyed when nothing is using them anymore (and having an un-closed handle to one is included as "using").
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
I have read:
IIRC, desktops are reference counted, so they're destroyed when nothing is using them anymore (and having an un-closed handle to one is included as "using").

Apparently, terminating all apps on the new desktop and closing the TCC that created the new desktop does make it go away (DESKTOP in subsequent TCCs shows only the default desktop. I imagine the original TCC's just closing the handle (after the apps were terminated) would have done the same thing.

Somehow, a CTFMON.EXE (Office multi-language input?) got started on the new desktop (anyone know why/how?) and that process had to be killed too.
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
TCC starts Explorer.

And START has an option to start an app on the new desktop.
Having created "newdt" and returned to the default desktop, these started TCC/notepad (resp.) on the **default** desktop.
Code:
start /desktop=newdt
start /desktop=newdt notepad

Does Explorer require special startup options to put it into desktop mode?
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
Not unless you blindly terminate *everything* on the new desktop (which is impractical and somewhat hazardous).
FWIW it's possible to exit Explorer (say on an alternate desktop) gracefully. I only tried this on Win7.

Click the start button. Now Ctrl-Shift-RightClick on an empty part of the start menu. You'll get a context menu; one of its options will be "Exit Explorer".
 
May 20, 2008
12,173
133
Syracuse, NY, USA
FWIW it's possible to exit Explorer (say on an alternate desktop) gracefully. I only tried this on Win7.

Click the start button. Now Ctrl-Shift-RightClick on an empty part of the start menu. You'll get a context menu; one of its options will be "Exit Explorer".
If you happen to have a TCC running, you can start Explorer again (in ProgMan mode) by simply issuing "Explorer".
 

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