Has anyone used a cooking program called ProChef Plus? I just
discovered it and have downloded the trial version and am trying it
out. It can be found at:

http://www.utilitysoft.com/prochefplus_main.htm

At first glance, it looks to have a lot of features that would make it
very useful for baking (breads, etc.) including. A few that caught my
eye a

* Scaling without changing the original quantities.
* Volume to weight conversion.
* Baker's percentages.
* Decimal option.

The user interface looks clean and straight forward.

I am just testing it. I will post a review later.

--
Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(01/10/05)

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 06:56:38 -0800, Top Spin >
wrote:

>Has anyone used a cooking program called ProChef Plus? I just
>discovered it and have downloded the trial version and am trying it
>out. It can be found at:
>
>http://www.utilitysoft.com/prochefplus_main.htm
>
>At first glance, it looks to have a lot of features that would make it
>very useful for baking (breads, etc.) including. A few that caught my
>eye a
>
>* Scaling without changing the original quantities.
>* Volume to weight conversion.
>* Baker's percentages.
>* Decimal option.
>
>The user interface looks clean and straight forward.
>
>I am just testing it. I will post a review later.

WARNING! This software apparently does not run on Windows 2000. For
some strange reason, it runs on 98, ME, and XP, but not 2000. When I
installed it, it complained that a couple of files were missing.

The missing files were mscomctl.ocx and mscomct2.ocx.

When I exited the install program, I got a message that looked to be
from Windows saying that some files were now missing and that Windows
might be unstable.

So far Windows seems to be running OK and ProChef Plus also runs so
I'm not sure what the error message was about. I am talking to the
developer, but if you have Win2K you might not want to try this
program.

If I get a better answer, I will post it.

I have never seen a program that would work on 98 and XP but not 2000.


--
Hitachi HB-A101 bread machine, 1 pound
Email: Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com
(01/10/05)

On my notebook my boot drive is drive F and NOT drive C, as I suffered
a hard drive crash and when I switched to the new drive and installed
windows on it XP's install and the hardware decided my boot drive
would henceforth be drive F. Their trial software will NOT install or
run if the boot drive is NOT drive C. They have hardcoded, in it, that
one file, msmd6.dll, must be installed on c:\windows\system32 and, of
course, my system does not have that at all, so the file, which is
required, is not installed. I have written them about this problem and
await their answer.

Apparently Top Spin managed to install that one file, so if he cares
to send me a copy privately [as an attachment] I will install it on
drive F and let you know my view of the code.

From the advert on their web site it appears that the non-pro version
does almost all of what the pro version does, but it seems not to be
able to convert non-US volume to non-US weight . . . they have
restricted this to US volume to US weight conversions :-) . . .
proving once more that they have no imagination or knowledge of the
rest of the world. Anyway, I too will advise what I find out.

They advertise that they import MasterCook recipes from versions 1 to
version 6... and since we are now at version 8, I wonder what else is
a little behind the times on their web site :-)

FWIW

RsH
--------------------------------
On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 08:19:23 -0800, Top Spin >
wrote:

>WARNING! This software apparently does not run on Windows 2000. For
>some strange reason, it runs on 98, ME, and XP, but not 2000. When I
>installed it, it complained that a couple of files were missing.
>
>The missing files were mscomctl.ocx and mscomct2.ocx.
>
>When I exited the install program, I got a message that looked to be
>from Windows saying that some files were now missing and that Windows
>might be unstable.
>
>So far Windows seems to be running OK and ProChef Plus also runs so
>I'm not sure what the error message was about. I am talking to the
>developer, but if you have Win2K you might not want to try this
>program.
>
>If I get a better answer, I will post it.
>
>I have never seen a program that would work on 98 and XP but not 2000.

================================================== =====
>
Copyright retained. My opinions - no one else's...
If this is illegal where you are, do not read it!

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 08:19:23 -0800
Top Spin > wrote:


> WARNING! This software apparently does not run on Windows 2000. For
> some strange reason, it runs on 98, ME, and XP, but not 2000. When I
> installed it, it complained that a couple of files were missing.
>
> The missing files were mscomctl.ocx and mscomct2.ocx.


These are very easy to come by, and fairly simple to install.

It does, however, indicate that the people who wrote the program are
less than professional. It would have been pretty easy for them to handle
this automatically. It's more or less the hallmark of the barely-competent.

Pimply faced geeks often write programs that need them but don't include
them or tell you anywhere that you might have to track them down. Often
between phone calls at their technical support job.

"Eric Jorgensen" > wrote in message
news:20050213093512.20f9739b@wafer...
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 08:19:23 -0800
> Top Spin > wrote:
>
>
>> WARNING! This software apparently does not run on Windows 2000. For
>> some strange reason, it runs on 98, ME, and XP, but not 2000. When I
>> installed it, it complained that a couple of files were missing.
>>
>> The missing files were mscomctl.ocx and mscomct2.ocx.
>
>
> These are very easy to come by, and fairly simple to install.
>
> It does, however, indicate that the people who wrote the program are
> less than professional. It would have been pretty easy for them to handle
> this automatically. It's more or less the hallmark of the
> barely-competent.
>
> Pimply faced geeks often write programs that need them but don't include
> them or tell you anywhere that you might have to track them down. Often
> between phone calls at their technical support job.
>
I wish I had half the computer/programming knowledge of the people around me
in the newsgroups. Aside from minor contact with the first pc installed
where I worked in the mid-80's, I had no contact with computers until
someone gifted me with a very old, cast off, corporate computer in '98, I
think. A whole world passed me by. I really regret that. Darn.
Janet

"Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Eric Jorgensen" > wrote in message
> news:20050213093512.20f9739b@wafer...
>> On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 08:19:23 -0800
>> Top Spin > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> WARNING! This software apparently does not run on Windows 2000. For
>>> some strange reason, it runs on 98, ME, and XP, but not 2000. When I
>>> installed it, it complained that a couple of files were missing.
>>>
>>> The missing files were mscomctl.ocx and mscomct2.ocx.
>>
>>
>> These are very easy to come by, and fairly simple to install.
>>
>> It does, however, indicate that the people who wrote the program are
>> less than professional. It would have been pretty easy for them to handle
>> this automatically. It's more or less the hallmark of the
>> barely-competent.
>>
>> Pimply faced geeks often write programs that need them but don't
>> include
>> them or tell you anywhere that you might have to track them down. Often
>> between phone calls at their technical support job.
>>
> I wish I had half the computer/programming knowledge of the people around
> me in the newsgroups. Aside from minor contact with the first pc
> installed where I worked in the mid-80's, I had no contact with computers
> until someone gifted me with a very old, cast off, corporate computer in
> '98, I think. A whole world passed me by. I really regret that. Darn.
> Janet

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. My husband, the past few days is installing
now-tens-of-thousands of my genealogy files and probably a few of the
hundred programs and some 15,000+ photos on my new computer. He can do
this. I couldn't do it in a million years. Blessed are the husbands.
Dee

"Dee Randall" <deedoveyatshenteldotnet> wrote in message
...
>
> "Janet Bostwick" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
snip
>> I wish I had half the computer/programming knowledge of the people around
>> me in the newsgroups. Aside from minor contact with the first pc
>> installed where I worked in the mid-80's, I had no contact with computers
>> until someone gifted me with a very old, cast off, corporate computer in
>> '98, I think. A whole world passed me by. I really regret that. Darn.
>> Janet
>
> Sometimes ignorance is bliss. My husband, the past few days is installing
> now-tens-of-thousands of my genealogy files and probably a few of the
> hundred programs and some 15,000+ photos on my new computer. He can do
> this. I couldn't do it in a million years. Blessed are the husbands.
> Dee
Oh, I can do all that. And, if the error message is there, I can probably
figure out the reference. But knowing that kind of file is easily available
and installed, and where you find it isn't part of the self taught knowledge
that I have. I will attempt to use the software providers knowledge base,
but generalized questions are rarely why one goes to the Help file or Web
site. And I'm too darn cheap to spend the time and money for paid tech
support. Either I figure it out or I do without. I'm not clueless or
dangerous--my husband is.
Janet

RsH wrote:
> On my notebook my boot drive is drive F and NOT drive C, as I suffered
> a hard drive crash and when I switched to the new drive and installed
> windows on it XP's install and the hardware decided my boot drive
> would henceforth be drive F. Their trial software will NOT install or
> run if the boot drive is NOT drive C. They have hardcoded, in it, that
> one file, msmd6.dll, must be installed on c:\windows\system32 and, of
> course, my system does not have that at all, so the file, which is
> required, is not installed. I have written them about this problem and
> await their answer.
>
> Apparently Top Spin managed to install that one file, so if he cares
> to send me a copy privately [as an attachment] I will install it on
> drive F and let you know my view of the code.

I understand that you boot on the F drive, but do you have a C drive
still? If so, you can simply create that directory structure on it, and
copy the required dll from F:...

Dave

Janet Bostwick wrote:

> But knowing that kind of file is easily available
> and installed, and where you find it isn't part of the self taught knowledge
> that I have.
> Janet

As in so many cases, Google is your friend! Simply search on the file
names, and the first hits for each contain a link for downloading it.

Dave

No drive C, but I [temporarily] renamed drive D to drive C, installed
the program, rebooted and renamed C back to D, rebooted again as
required and then moved the msmd6.dll file to Drive F, where it is now
residing. Then the program works.

That file turns out to be a small file which is their security [number
of uses] counter. When the value gets to 30 it stops the trial from
working any more, so they insist that the file be installed. Of course
once you realise what this file is for, anyone with a Hex editor can
negate this sort of check in an instant, by changing the value back to
1 or 0 and starting all over. The program does NOT handle conversions
between volume and weight all that well, and is not nearly as flexible
as MasterCook, in my opinion, so I likely will NOT keep it around, but
at least it is now installed and usable.

I still think that the programmer(s) have a poor install system if
they insist on drive C as they have for this one file, instead of what
the system actually has.

Anyway, thanks for the question, as it allowed me to remember the way
to change a drive's letter value (other than the boot drive) so that I
could D to C and then change it back and not screw up the programs
installed on D and in the registry that way.

RsH
---------------------------
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:52:20 GMT, Dave Bell
> wrote:

>RsH wrote:
>> On my notebook my boot drive is drive F and NOT drive C, as I suffered
>> a hard drive crash and when I switched to the new drive and installed
>> windows on it XP's install and the hardware decided my boot drive
>> would henceforth be drive F. Their trial software will NOT install or
>> run if the boot drive is NOT drive C. They have hardcoded, in it, that
>> one file, msmd6.dll, must be installed on c:\windows\system32 and, of
>> course, my system does not have that at all, so the file, which is
>> required, is not installed. I have written them about this problem and
>> await their answer.
>>
>> Apparently Top Spin managed to install that one file, so if he cares
>> to send me a copy privately [as an attachment] I will install it on
>> drive F and let you know my view of the code.
>
>I understand that you boot on the F drive, but do you have a C drive
>still? If so, you can simply create that directory structure on it, and
>copy the required dll from F:...
>
>Dave

================================================== =====
>
Copyright retained. My opinions - no one else's...
If this is illegal where you are, do not read it!

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005, RsH wrote:

> No drive C, but I [temporarily] renamed drive D to drive C, installed
> the program, rebooted and renamed C back to D, rebooted again as
> required and then moved the msmd6.dll file to Drive F, where it is now
> residing. Then the program works.

In future, if you need to fake a C: you can do the following:

- Open a command prompt (run cmd.exe)
- Enter: subst C: F:\

Now any references to C: is the same as a reference to F:. This will only
be true until you reboot your computer.

> That file turns out to be a small file which is their security [number
> of uses] counter. When the value gets to 30 it stops the trial from
> working any more, so they insist that the file be installed. Of course
> once you realise what this file is for, anyone with a Hex editor can
> negate this sort of check in an instant, by changing the value back to
> 1 or 0 and starting all over. The program does NOT handle conversions
> between volume and weight all that well, and is not nearly as flexible
> as MasterCook, in my opinion, so I likely will NOT keep it around, but
> at least it is now installed and usable.
>
> I still think that the programmer(s) have a poor install system if
> they insist on drive C as they have for this one file, instead of what
> the system actually has.

Any time a programmer has hard coded something like the System Drive or
anything else it is a clear indicator that the program lacks some
fundamental knowledge. Most often this is because they are self-taught and
use the trial-and-error method of learning.

I'd avoid using software from this sort of programmer. These are the type
who learn from mistakes and rarely from research. Often their mistakes are
reported by the people using their software. In other words, if you buy
their software you are basically paying to be their beta-testers.

> Anyway, thanks for the question, as it allowed me to remember the way
> to change a drive's letter value (other than the boot drive) so that I
> could D to C and then change it back and not screw up the programs
> installed on D and in the registry that way.
>
> RsH
> ---------------------------
> On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:52:20 GMT, Dave Bell
> > wrote:
>
> >RsH wrote:
> >> On my notebook my boot drive is drive F and NOT drive C, as I suffered
> >> a hard drive crash and when I switched to the new drive and installed
> >> windows on it XP's install and the hardware decided my boot drive
> >> would henceforth be drive F. Their trial software will NOT install or
> >> run if the boot drive is NOT drive C. They have hardcoded, in it, that
> >> one file, msmd6.dll, must be installed on c:\windows\system32 and, of
> >> course, my system does not have that at all, so the file, which is
> >> required, is not installed. I have written them about this problem and
> >> await their answer.
> >>
> >> Apparently Top Spin managed to install that one file, so if he cares
> >> to send me a copy privately [as an attachment] I will install it on
> >> drive F and let you know my view of the code.
> >
> >I understand that you boot on the F drive, but do you have a C drive
> >still? If so, you can simply create that directory structure on it, and
> >copy the required dll from F:...
> >
> >Dave
>
> ================================================== =====
> >
> Copyright retained. My opinions - no one else's...
> If this is illegal where you are, do not read it!
>

--
Send e-mail to: darrell dot grainger at utoronto dot ca