WiSwitch
WiSwitch
I've made a little utility for starting/stopping the Wireless Zero Configuration service. WZC is known to create ping spikes while probing for new APs, which can be a problem if you use wireless for gaming. The common solution is to use .bat files with 'net stop wzcsvc' and 'net start wzcsvc' commands. I'm not a gamer myself but I thought it'd be nice to have something with a gui. WiSwitch (that's what the utility is called) can also handle WLAN Autoconfig (Vista), although stopping this service will cause your ping to spike through the roof (i.e. terminates the connection). So now I'm trying to share it and get some feedback maybe.
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YARDofSTUF
- Posts: 70006
- Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2000 12:00 am
- Location: USA
Let's not get overparanoid here. This may come as a shock, but there is no malware embedded in Wiswitch_1.1_setup.exe. I'm not a developer and I generally have no need for my own site, and I'm certainly not gonna build one to host a 290kb file. And there is nothing inherently bad about anonymous hosting. If you're suspicious, you should run some scans on the file before posting insinuations that it's a trojan or something.
Now, as for turning the service off, of course you can turn it off, but you can't use a disabled service, can you? WZC has to be started in order to connect to a wireless network (unless you use 3rd party sw). After you're connected, you stop the service, otherwise it scans for new APs once a minute and this causes latency spikes. If you need to disconnect or change AP, you have to start the service again. That's what WiSwitch is for - starting and stopping the WZC, not disabling.
Now, as for turning the service off, of course you can turn it off, but you can't use a disabled service, can you? WZC has to be started in order to connect to a wireless network (unless you use 3rd party sw). After you're connected, you stop the service, otherwise it scans for new APs once a minute and this causes latency spikes. If you need to disconnect or change AP, you have to start the service again. That's what WiSwitch is for - starting and stopping the WZC, not disabling.
ya never know.. feel free to test it yourself then. But for something that can be turned off by a few clicks into services.msc why download a 3rd party .exe to do it for you?ace wrote:Why are you so paranoid? This guy is just posting something to help people and you laugh in his face.
You ever think that some people might find this useful? Even if you dont?
lol pretty much..I mean no offense to him posting it but someone has to be the guinea pig and see if it hoses their system...just not me!YARDofSTUF wrote:Wha? Are you implying that legit software isn't usually distributed in the form of an EXE file via forums, with no legit site of its own hosted by its creator?
WiSwitch is hardly a must-have program, I'll give you that, but to people who need to make those few clicks on a regular basis, it will come in handy, that is all.Sava700 wrote:But for something that can be turned off by a few clicks into services.msc why download a 3rd party .exe to do it for you?
BTW, in my 15 years of dealing with computers I've never had my machine infected with anything, and it wasn't because I was extremly cautious (on the contrary, I often dl stuff from torrents that is bundled with malware), it was because I know what I'm doing. Knowledge is the best antivirus, paranoia is effective but it kills all the fun and imho it's kinda lame. But this stuff belongs to some other forum anyway...
well since your replying your most likely ok...so I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way but you can't be too careful these days... I clean systems for a living and its always good practice to explore carefully and if there is another way taking only a few more seconds then do that instead vs downloading a strange .exe file. I tell this to the kids computers I fix daily...they sometimes still never learn.aerDNA wrote:WiSwitch is hardly a must-have program, I'll give you that, but to people who need to make those few clicks on a regular basis, it will come in handy, that is all.
BTW, in my 15 years of dealing with computers I've never had my machine infected with anything, and it wasn't because I was extremly cautious (on the contrary, I often dl stuff from torrents that is bundled with malware), it was because I know what I'm doing. Knowledge is the best antivirus, paranoia is effective but it kills all the fun and imho it's kinda lame. But this stuff belongs to some other forum anyway...
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ace
- Posts: 5207
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- Location: Emerald Triangle looking for EA and some trainwreck!
I agree with you and even though I have no use because I game through a hard wired ethernet cable, I think that this would come in handy if one were to use it often.aerDNA wrote:WiSwitch is hardly a must-have program, I'll give you that, but to people who need to make those few clicks on a regular basis, it will come in handy, that is all.
No offence taken. Since it's my software we're talking about, I thought of you as an overzealous "beware" shouter barking up my tree, but from a neutral point of view, I guess it's wiser to listen to you than me.Sava700 wrote:well since your replying your most likely ok...so I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way but you can't be too careful these days... I clean systems for a living and its always good practice to explore carefully and if there is another way taking only a few more seconds then do that instead vs downloading a strange .exe file. I tell this to the kids computers I fix daily...they sometimes still never learn.
P.S. Thnx, ace
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YARDofSTUF
- Posts: 70006
- Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2000 12:00 am
- Location: USA
Just being careful to users is all I'm saying and I believe Yardo cleared it up on posting links to "odd" looking files in the future which is what i was getting at.aerDNA wrote:No offence taken. Since it's my software we're talking about, I thought of you as an overzealous "beware" shouter barking up my tree, but from a neutral point of view, I guess it's wiser to listen to you than me.
P.S. Thnx, ace
I apologize if I'm stirring things up (I'm not being sarcastic). As I said in my first post, I'm trying to share my program and get some feedback, so I posted in several forums of interest and I din't find it necessary to come up with a different introduction for each. It's no sin but I realize it can smell fishy.
Here's that link to a zip, although zipping doesn't really reduce any potential harm, it only reduces the perceived danger.
Btw, for safely running executables from untrusted sources, I can highly recommend a program called "Sandboxie". Here's the direct download link... no, wait, I better not.
Here's that link to a zip, although zipping doesn't really reduce any potential harm, it only reduces the perceived danger.
Btw, for safely running executables from untrusted sources, I can highly recommend a program called "Sandboxie". Here's the direct download link... no, wait, I better not.
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YARDofSTUF
- Posts: 70006
- Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2000 12:00 am
- Location: USA
WiSwitch 1.2
Updated version available at http://www.mediafire.com/aerDNA
If anybody tries Homer Patch, I would really appreciate some feedback regarding the installer. There are like a dozen Zuma game clients and I designed the installer to cover them all, with a workaround for new/unrecognized ones, so I figure it should work fine but if Homer Patch won't patch, please let me know (and a link to the game client would be great). Also, sorry, I know I should've started a separate thread for this.
WiSwitch v1.3
Added Win7 support.
