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frequently asked questions
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Please read this section when you have problems using PStart. If these answers to FAQs do not help, please tell us.
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question
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answer
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The file you download is an installer, simply execute it. The installer guides you through the rest of the installation.
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What's the difference between local and portable installation?
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The local installation is like you know it from many other Windows applications.
All files are copied to your hard disk, an icon is placed into your start menu (if you wish),
and an uninstaller is provided. If multiple users are working on this PC, each user has its own settings.
The portable installation has to be used if you want to install PStart to a removable device.
There is no uninstaller, you have to remove all (currently two) files manually, if you don't want to use PStart any more.
Settings are stored for exactly this installation, so if you need more than one configuration (for multiple accounts),
you have to install PStart several times to different folders. You can use the portable installation for your hard disk, too,
but it's treated just like a portable installation (no uninstaller, autostart has to be created manually...).
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U3 compliant devices are special USB media coming with a launcher and some advances features.
Only U3 compatible software can be executed directly from the U3 launcher.
PStart is availbale in a U3 version, which can be used to launch other portable applications
with a U3 device (at first you have to execute PStart from the U3 launcher).
More information can be found at www.u3.com.
U3 software comes as .u3p files, which really are renamed .zip files
(some downloaders rename the .u3p file to .zip, so you have to rename it back after downloading).
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Can I start PStart minimized?
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Open the panel, then the settings window (setup menu).
From the general settings uncheck "Show panel at startup".
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Is there a way to autostart PStart when I plug in my USB drive?
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Windows reads the autorun.inf file (if available) when you plug in your USB device.
However Windows handles USB devices and CDs differently.
Usually the file specified in the autorun.inf file is not executed
but a dialog pops up, letting the user decide what to do.
You can change this behaviour on your local system,
but of course these settings are useless when you plug in your storage device to another PC.
There are some utilities around to change this behaviour,
but you have to install such a utility to every computer you want to do this
(often such utilities basically "make Windows think" your USB drive is a CD).
Here is a (very incomplete) list of such software:
AutoRun USB by ToroSoft Software,
APO Usb Autorun Suite,
DeskMount by blackbit.net
and Autorun USB by USB Software.
It's also interesting to read following article:
Hack Attack: Quicklaunch your USB workspace
(Pegtop Software is not responsible for the content of these external websites).
Some USB devices have two different partitions, a normal one and one which acts like a CD,
used to autorun some software on the other partition. U3 devices work in a similar way.
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How do I uninstall PStart?
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Open the Windows start menu and choose settings / control panel / software.
You can select the software you wish to uninstall from a list there.
If PStart is installed correctly you will find an entry "Pegtop PStart"
(exit PStart before uninstalling it).
Alternatively you can open the PStart panel and choose Uninstall from the Setup menu.
There is no uninstaller for portable installations,
simply delete the files (usually PStart.exe and PStart.xml).
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What command line parameters are supproted?
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You can specify an alternative name for settings, if you execute "PStart second"
settings are stored in "second.xml". Add the "-exit" parameter to exit
PStart via command line.
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How can I use placeholders?
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You can for example run "%windows%\notepad.exe" to execute notepad
from any computer, no matter where the Windows folder is located.
Placeholders work for path, home directory, icon file and command line parameters.
The %pdrive% placeholder is useful for applications which only support absolute paths.
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Can I protect my settings and items?
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PStart enters write protected mode as soon as the settings file is write protected
when PStart is launched. Options for modifying settings, items and notes
are disabled or even invisible then.
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Where can I find the background texture used for the screenshots?
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You can download this texture here.
There are also a few more nice textures you can download:
And of course you can use Xfader to create your own textures.
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What comes in future versions?
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The TODO list grows bigger and bigger, and it's hard to tell what will be made first.
Here is an incomplete list of features suggested by PStart users in no specific order:
- show alarm time in notes
- URL items (favorits)
- eject drive
- more languages
- ...
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