12Ghosts XP (5.0) History

Major enhancements between:
XP/20 and XP/10, June 7, 2002
XP/10 and XP/01, March 21, 2002
XP and 21, November 15, 2001

New in XP/31 August 4, 2002

Shredder: a problem with deleting folders was introduced with the most recent update, corrected.
Shredder: "Limit Free Space" on a FAT partition on Windows NT left less free space than indicated. Corrected.
ShowTime: The default position could have been changed to a wrong position, and even to a position outside the screen if follow-active-window was enabled. Corrected.
ShowTime: World time display has been enhanced to clearly show the difference to local time and GMT.
ShutDown: If the shut down process was started manually, and some programs were still running, and when now the shut down timer was due, this started the programs a second time. Corrected.
FileDate: Couldn't set date to files in only one folder without including subfolders. Corrected.
SetColor: Sends the color command to 12-DeskTOP, too.
Tower: Accepts more keys to start and stop applications: SPACE or RETURN to start, DEL or END to close, Context Menu key to open context menu.

New in XP/30 June 28, 2002

Shredder: Wipe Disk now works on FAT32 partitions with more than 4 GB free space without problems.
Timer: no longer issues a "time changed" message when returning from standby or hibernate
Backup: HyperBackup didn't start if one of the source paths didn't exist. Corrected.

Major Release XP/20

The list of changes is very long this time. Special area of interest were the productivity tools, those that help you to work faster: 12-QuickStart, 12-Menu (aka 12-ShellX), 12-SaveLayout, and 12-NotePad. They got a lot more commands and, for example, support submenus. 12-Shredder now offers disk wiping and clearing complete folders.

New in XP/20 June 7, 2002

NotePad: Open .txt and .rtf files
NotePad: Associate with file types like .txt and .rtf, or any other file type.
NotePad: Drag & drop files to 12-NotePad
NotePad: Close file or close+delete file from disk
NotePad: Unlimited pages (the page bar breaks to a new line)
NotePad: Toolbar buttons
NotePad: Print, print preview, and page setup added
NotePad: Bookmarks, jump to next/previous bookmark
NotePad: Paragraph Formatting: Left, Center, Right, Single/1.5/Double Spacing, Space After, Highlight
NotePad: More options: title bar, main menu, name in toolbar, toolbar buttons, vertical and horizontal scrollbar, auto-scrolling area, and page bar
NotePad: Option to change Auto-Save delay
NotePad: Now optional: open links and file paths with one click
NotePad: Now optional: move window with cursor above text
NotePad: Now optional: "glue" window to borders
NotePad: Now optional: Esc to close window
NotePad: Options dialog box contains all options from the menu
NotePad: Recent documents listed in menu
NotePad: accepts path on command line
NotePad: more shortcut keys supported to open, close, save, print, delete, and change documents
Quick: Some hotkey combinations were not displayed correctly. For example INS was always combined with the WIN key, although the WIN key was not pressed. Corrected.
FileDate: two new buttons to copy file dates from Created to the other two, Modified and Accessed. Note that Ctrl+C copies the date string.
ShowTime: world times display, difference to local time and local DST are added

New in XP/15 Mai 23, 2002

Quick: Mouse Move activation for each command. Move your mouse to activate one or several QuickStart commands.
Quick MultiRunner: Start several programs with one click. Combine any command with the following to start as many commands as you want with just one key stroke.
Quick SendKeys: Redirect any key to any other key, character, or text. Specify any key as hotkey for this command and enter the text you'd like to send. For example, press Ctrl+Decimal (Numpad) to enter a comma instead of a point. Use Ctrl+E to enter a € character, even if it is not supported by your keyboard layout. You may enter any Alt+xxx character, or any other international character copied from any application.
Quick EjectCD: Eject CDs with the click on a tray icon. Eject, load, or toggle CDs and removable media easily. You may create tray icons and hotkeys for each drive separately.
Quick: New Commands: "Clear Folders" (enter folder as parameter), "Clipboard to Small Letters", "Clipboard to Capital Letters"
Quick: Now supports submenus for easier management and grouping of entries.
Quick: New Options: "Menu appears centered under the cursor", "Menu appears centered on screen"
Quick: Windows key support as hotkey combination also possible
Quick: Drag and drop of items in the table is now possible
Quick: Copy button added to duplicate an entry.
Quick: Click on the Icon button to bring up an easy-to-use Change Icon dialog box.
Quick: Default entries can be added at any time (without removing all custom items)
Quick: open settings dialog box with a double-click on the tray icon
Quick: resolves shortcuts when you drag and drop one to QuickStart. That is, it adds the target path, not the path to the shortcut.
Quick: separate Options dialog box with all commands from the context menu
Quick: Description displayed for each Quick command, and for each control in the settings dialog box.
Quick: corrected a problem with quick parameters started from the command line. This should work again for all commands.
Wash: wash-before-shutdown invoked external programs, which is not allowed during shutdown. We've corrected this. However, we still recommend 12-ShutDown to manage starting of programs before shut down.
All: Windows key support as hotkey combination also possible

New in XP/14 Mai 10, 2002

SaveLayout: Different sets of icons on your desktop. Simply select a layout in the right-click menu to have a different set of icons you want to work with. This includes the wallpaper to differentiate between different layouts easily.
SaveLayout: added commands useful on a day-to-day basis: start programs, clear Windows settings, quick resolution switching, shut down, or log off with just a right-click on the tray icon.
FileDate: on NT/2000/XP you can also change the date of a folder.
Wash: changes the icon for Recycle Bin to "empty" after clearing it.
About: option to check for updates automatically.

New in XP/13 Mai 2, 2002

Menu: NEW Remove context menu entries! Some context menus are so cluttered that you can hardly find the useful commands. With 12-Menu it's simple to remove all but the most important ones.
Menu: New commands: Copy To, Move To, Delete Now (don't use Recycle Bin), and Copy File Here, which copies a file where you right-clicked on.
Menu: Properties displays size of indicated folder (without subfolders) when not holding Ctrl.
Menu: Selection of properties displayed moved to extra dialog box.
Backup: The list of files to exclude was the same for Backup and HyperBackup. Corrected.
Setup: during an update, context menu entries were always added. Now setup checks for existing settings for context menu entries of 12-Backup, 12-Menu, and 12-Zip.

New in XP/12 Apr 25, 2002

Shredder: Now offers disk wiping. It overwrites empty space on the disk that is not in use by any files. It also clears the unused part of the last cluster of each file which could potentially contain compromising data. (The contents of a file, when it is deleted, is not removed but only the entry in the directory of the file. Disk wiping will remove all those remaining parts of files that were not secure-deleted with 12-Shredder).
Shredder: Additional shred options: overwrite with a user-defined character, overwrite with the complement, easy control buttons to choose security level from Once to Top Secret.
Shredder complies to the DoD 5220.22-M specification of how to sanitize disks.
Shredder: Separate shred options for Shred Files and Wipe Disk.
Shredder: supports drag & drop of multiple files or folders with immediate shredding. Now you can simply drag files or folders over the 12-Shredder window.
Shredder: now supports folders and subfolders, too.
Shredder: Limit free space on disk to reduce the time it takes to wipe disk.
Shredder: property sheet style dialog box for more comfort. All settings easily accessible.
Menu (aka ShellX): Submenus for context menu. Now you can group commands together. Save space in your context menu while still having all 12-Menu commands available all the time.
Menu (aka ShellX): Easily add commands from a drop-down menu. You may also delete all commands or reset the list of commands easily.
ShutDown: we corrected a bug in the timer of shutdown, 'Events' - 'At this time'. For times after 6 pm, on some systems, the time was not calculated correctly.
Italian translations added for DeskTOP and FileDate. Many Thanks to Lucio Lovato!

New in XP/11 Apr 5, 2002

ShowTime: new option to get the clock and WorldTimes windows on top on a slight move of your mouse.
Backup: added command line parameter /stop to stop a running instance of 12-Backup. This may be useful if you run other programs which need full access to the files controlled by 12-Backup.

Major Release XP/10

We've released a major update of our 12Ghosts. This is a very stable version that we recommend downloading today. XP/10 has lots of enhancements for almost all Ghosts. Most important are changes in our security related tools 12-Wash and 12-Backup. You'll find these to work even more thoroughly and reliable, taking care of your most sensitive tasks in Windows.

Together with 12-ShutDown they automate cleaning-up and backing-up of crucial data. This serves two 12Ghosts objectives: improving security so that you can lean back and relax, and automating tasks so that you have time for other, more important things.

New in XP/10 Mar 21, 2002

Tower: supports keyboard to select and start Ghosts. Use the arrow keys Up and Down to select a Ghost, press Space or Return to open it.
Tower: new animation to draw attention to the new keyboard support.
ShutDown: List text and back color, both can be changed.
Wash: More security for system files. Files in the Windows or System folders are not deleted in any case.
HyperBackup: Explorer menu extension didn't find files for Versions submenu in some cases. Corrected.
ShowTime main window should now stay on top of taskbar again if "On Top" is selected.
Sync: Last adjusted time in tray icon pop-up was not updated if Icon Animation was turned off. Corrected.
Italian translations added for Wash and ShutDown.

New in XP/08 Mar 1, 2002

ShowTime is one of the most powerful and feature-rich clocks you can find. However, usage was not easy. Now, we've completely redesigned the user interface. Setting up a pleasurable clock display now is as easy as pointing on a watch you like in a shop window!
ShowTime: Ease of use and full control. Settings were powerful but confusing. Now, we have added a perplexingly simple way of changing the clock display. With a selection of often used date formats, a menu of pleasant color schemes, as well as clear options to enable seconds, 24 hour format, or to insert a world time. Still, you have the full power of changing each and every detail of the clock display. Now you have a guidance to quickly make use of the many options that 12-ShowTime provides.
ShowTime: New tabbed dialog box for more convenient management of clock, alarm, timers, and world times.
ShowTime: Advanced settings are still available and have been enhanced with one-click controls like color buttons and increase/decrease size buttons. You'll also find a drop-down which keeps your ten most recent formats for quick and easy reference.
ShowTime: WorldTimes in movable window. You may have WorldTimes in a separate, free movable window. WorldTimes display is fully customizable, you can choose the city name or just write "Auntie Jane" or "Headquarters", different colors, select any of the 74 world wide time zones, display DST, display difference to GMT and difference to local time. Of course you may also add world times directly into the tray clock display.
ShowTime: several options added for easier access. Options from right-click menu added to property sheet for better overview. Moon always, on mouse over, never. Blinking colon always, when alarm is due, never.
ShowTime: Follow active window now sets "On top of all windows" automatically because it wouldn't be visible otherwise.
ShowTime: Stopwatch now supports any number of lap times, and a larger display.
ShowTime: Last but not least: We corrected display problems when size formatting was used together with shadow or blinking colon settings. Parts of the clock were not fully visible, this should no longer occur.

Backup: NEW Registry backup, save the most crucial information on your computer, automatically at a certain interval, multiple versions
Backup: Registry restore with a click of a button, "go back" to one out of 10,000 previous versions.
Backup: Defragment your registry to save space and make registry access faster
Backup: save all 12Ghosts settings automatically, multiple versions of course (also on command line with /save12g).
Backup: empty folders are no longer created
Backup: waking up from hibernation no longer issues a message "system time has changed".
Backup: Icon showing "not working" and a red/white cross, although backup was in fact working. Corrected.
Backup: If the disk is full you are now asked for a new disk. The backup process can then be continued or canceled.
Backup /07 started only shortly and then stopped if the backup path did not exist and at the same time there were no entries in HyperBackup. Corrected.

Wash: Password access control for Wash settings. You'll find a new Password button in Log/Message settings. If 12-Wash is started automatically at shut down or with the parameter /nowarnings, washing will proceed without showing the password dialog box.
Wash: "Keep Running" and "Add Startup Shortcut" are two different options now to prevent any confusion here.
Wash: Problem with clearing Netscape address drop-down on some systems solved.
All: Enhancements for Russian and Czech translations.

New in XP/07 Feb 20, 2002

Wash: index.dat files - They've always made problems. We found a way to delete them!
Wash: extra option to clear AutoComplete drop-downs. This stores what you entered into forms earlier.
Wash: Clearing 'Search for Files' now removes drop-down contents for last searched files, folders, and computers.
Wash: new option to Reset IE "Save As..." and "Save Target As..." folders. The last folder otherwise re-appears when you select these commands the next time.
Wash: basic shredder included
Wash: option to try to overwrite locked files
Wash: Creates a log file so that you can control what information exactly has been deleted. With three levels of logging, size and age of log file customizable.
Wash: problem with Wash not stopping when called from 12-ShutDown corrected.
Wash: problem while clearing IE Cache corrected.

ShutDown: Set the default action for left-click, right-double-click, and hotkey separately.
ShutDown: List of actions and default settings moved to separate dialog box providing for easier usage.
ShutDown: By popular request we've added a button to change the background color of the action list (under Defaults...)

Backup: NEW Option "Backup To..." to backup to a different backup medium easily. For example, if you usually back-up to your second disk drive, once a week you may backup to a ZIP disk.
Backup: Together with "Backup To..." there's also a new option to backup "Only files changed in the last [xx] [Hours/Days/Weeks/Months]. Useful for small ZIP disks or to save time on slow disks!
Backup: separate options for Backup and HyperBackup. You may now set different backup paths or different exclude lists for the two parts of 12-Backup.
Backup: HyperBackup no longer requires a separate process (b2notify.exe). This saves process space and main memory.
Setup: selections for all, none, 12Ghosts, 7Dwarfs, or existing (previously installed) Ghosts for easier updates.

New in XP/06 Feb 2, 2002

Setup: a silent installation has been made easier. Setup imports settings automatically, and silently, if it finds a file named "settings.12g" in the same path as the installation file. You may pre-configure all user settings and distribute them to all clients. A network installation couldn't be any easier!
HyperBackup: new command added to Restore All existing versions to the same folder as the original file by adding a serial number. Now you can easily view or open one version after the other.
Shutdown: New option to stop countdown and proceed on double-click.
Translations enhanced for Chinese Simple, Chinese Traditional, French, and Russian
Sync: New options for creating a log file: adding time zone information, and logging only adjustments that exceed a certain value.
Sync: Added the parameter %COMPUTER-NAME% that you may add in the path for the log file. This will be replaced automatically, so you can have 12-Sync create different log files for each client on a central server path.
Timer: Reminder on-top of all windows, optional.
ShowTime: Follow Active Window now allows to set the offset from the upper right corner of the active window.
FileDate: New command line parameters: /CreToMod sets time created to time modified, /ModToCre vice versa
FileDate: supports /now to set all times to now. Tip: Add "12filedate.exe /now %1" to 12-Menu.
FileDate: If CTRL is pressed when you click on "Create" the current path is used, otherwise the last used path.
Tower: We found a problem with changed fonts after running Tower for about 3 minutes. This only happened on Win9x, though. Corrected.

New in XP/05 Jan 16, 2002

Wash: Netscape 6.x history and typed URLs are now removed completely.
Tower: central administration for Explorer context menu entries now included in Tower menu.
Sync: With Messages off, and with a maximum allowed time difference set, when time changed by more than the allowed time difference to the future, the automatic adjustment was wrong. Now it is adjusted correctly by the maximum allowed time difference.

New in XP/04 Dec 18, 2001

Tower: also displays right-click menu of each Ghost!
ShowTime uptime display corrected
Zip1 now has an option whether to associate .zip files with 12-Zip or not.
Languages enhanced: Russian for 12-Zip, Traditional Chinese, French for all 12Ghosts.

New in XP/03 Nov 27, 2001

Replace: corrected a problem when replacing special characters like \:r and \:n
Backup: If you encounter "Access is denied" messages check if there is an existing folder with the same name as the file.
NotePad: AutoScrolling has been made faster.
Lookup: Dutch translations added.
Timer: Finnish translations added.
Setup on Win95/98 creates wininit.ini entries correctly if DLLs are in use.
Traditional Chinese for common texts, Setup, and General Options
Enhancements for French, Dutch, and Finnish translations.

New in XP/02 Nov 21, 2001

Sync supports /once also when it is already running.
QuickStart supports "silent" as additional parameter for the command QuickRes. Adding "silent" or "yes" behind the other parameters (width, height, colors, frequency) will no longer ask for confirmation after switching resolution.
Finnish translations added for common translations, Setup and General Options.

Major Changes Between 21.5 and XP/01

Nov 15, 2001

Version "XP" NEW Major Version It is the successor of version 21, a major step forward for 12Ghosts. All Ghosts have been checked and adjusted to work properly on Windows XP. To make it clear that we are ready for Microsoft's new flagship, we called the new version of our Windows extensions "12Ghosts XP". The first release in fact is XP.01. Our staff and our developers switched to Windows XP completely. You can be sure 12Ghosts has been developed for, and on, Windows XP. (While still being tested and developed for all Windows versions since 95, of course.)
Wash fully supports Windows XP settings, removes Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as Netscape 6.x cookies, cache, and history settings.
SetColor supports the new shadow setting of Windows XP desktop. You now have the choice to enable a small shadow behind the text, or - as before - set colors for the text of your desktop icons, chose the text color, background color, or set the text background to transparent.
Robot NEW Ghost At certain events (appearing of a Window, for example), let this helper respond on your behalf. No longer bother about regular questions, for example if you want to create a new firewall rule now ("No"), hang up your Internet connection ("No!"), or if you want to accept the other cookie ("Argh!"). This Windows extension also starts programs, for example 12-WinControl to position a window. Automate repeated tasks in Windows. A piece de resistance of the 12Ghosts collection.
Tower NEW Ghost As a replacement for 12-Castle, this new program allows you to control all 22 Ghosts at once. Like a control tower it shows which programs are running, which are open, and which are installed. You can start, stop, or open each of the Ghosts with just one click. Furthermore, you may now save space in the tray area by disabling tray icons of individual Ghosts and only keep 12-Tower. This gives you full power over all 12Ghosts.
7Dwarfs has been designed as a starting point for Windows users getting serious about automating daily tasks and enhancing their Windows experience. The included helpers, like 12-ShutDown and 12-SetColor, are the most asked for and easiest-to-use tools we offer. Don't be mistaken, you get seven giant tools for the price of just two!
HiSpirits: This now is the complete package of all Ghosts. It's all we have. It also includes the new add-ons 12-Lookup, 12-Robot, and 12-Tower. 12Ghosts HiSpirits, by the way, is the only package that is delivered with translations into 17 languages. This is because we've found that most of our current users go for the complete download anyway. New users, on the other hand, will appreciate faster download speeds of the smaller 7Dwarfs and 12Ghosts XP.
Ghost Animation has been slightly reworked and got two new speeds.
Lookup, which has been a NEW Ghost only since last month, is now fully integrated into our new 12Ghosts HiSpirits package. It is installed together with the other Ghosts and appears in the 12Ghosts Control Tower.

12Ghosts 21 History