EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Builds

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New build just before the holidays:

* Fixed exception when adding PE entry due to typo in localization key name
* Localized forgotten License Dialog strings
* Fixed resize of "Reset Display Options" button for longer texts
* Set width of "Default" column in entry list automatically
* Added size synchronization to Add Entry dropdown widths for multi-language scaling
* Default sizes for Add Entry drop-downs now matched/aligned
* Enter/Esc work in DonationDialog
* Enter/Esc work in Drive Select Dialog
* Enter/Esc work in License Dialog
* Enter/Esc work in AboutBox
* Enter/Esc work in options dialog
* Cleaned up options dialog images (same transparency issue that was fixed for main ui in earlier build)
* Synchronized size of Options Dialog OK/Cancel buttons on longer text
* Fixed text on license dialog success, and hid links in success text on longer translations
* New languages: Polish, Russian, and German!

Merry Christmas to all our Christian friends and Happy Holidays to everyone else! See you on the other side of the New Year!
 
Build 168 uploaded with some feature changes:

* Made language selection dropbox read-only
* [EBCD-491]: Use yyyy-MM-dd format for EasyBCD backup names
* [EBCD-492]: EasyBCD's automatically generated backup BCD paths are uniquely numbered, if needed (i.e. EasyBCD Backup.bcd -> EasyBCD Backup (2).bcd)
* Set new/unique BCD backup path in text box after each backup operation
* EasyBCD automatically performs a backup in the background if first run and no backups found in backup folder
* Don't report {sa} exceptions
* Donation Dialog title now loaded from translation file
* Added localization for Language Dialog
* Using Segoe UI for Language Selection Dialog
* Fixed tabbing order for buttons on Add ISO page
* Setting Segoe UI font for About Box to better support internationalized strings
* Fixed crash in Defrag Dialog when adding ISO entry with "Load from Disk"
* New languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Arabic, Swedish, French (incomplete), and Ukrainian

Good luck and happy testing!
 
Beta build 169 uploaded.

* Localization fixes for About Box and Language Dialogs
* [EBCD-486] implemented for real, this time (ability to manually choose GRUB2 chainload target)
 
EasyBCD 2.2 Beta Build 170 uploaded.

Changes:
* Resolved all issues with deployment on Windows 8. No more prompts to install .NET 2.0/3.5, no downloading .NET during setup.
* Added MinimumWidth and MinimumHeight to translation. Used to set minimum window size for each dialog for each language.
* Donation dialog not shown until 3rd shutdown (instead of 2nd as before)
* Fixed duplication of drop-down box contents when changing languages
* Fixed behavior of "Load default BCD" and "Expert mode" checkboxes in options dialog
 
EasyBCD build 172 uploaded, this one will need some special love and attention from any testers as it involves critical changes to the BCD parsing procedure to make it a bit more UEFI friendly.

* [EBCD-493]: Heavy modification to BCD parser to avoid "0 entries" error/misread of BCD where UEFI is installed
* [EBCD-494]: Correctly treat pae = Yes/No as aliases for ForceEnable/ForceDisable respectively
* Fixed all errors/issues/inconsistencies caused when changing EasyBCD language from the main window
* Made "No" the default button for "No entries... are you sure you want to exit?"
* Fixed reading from bcdedit.txt (was broken whenever it was that the unicode fixes were rolled out)

Note: I would not say that EasyBCD now "works" with UEFI, just that it's usable. Previously having \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi simultaneously with the normal BIOS-compatible BOOTMGR would cause EasyBCD to be unusable. Now if you have both installed, EasyBCD will work fine with the BIOS-compatible BOOTMGR, ignoring (or not meddling with nor breaking on) the UEFI bootloader. You'll be able to use EasyBCD to do basic entry management, perhaps add certain types of new entries (LH-based for sure, other than that, I have no clue). Look at it as throwing a bone to the UEFI crowd until actual UEFI support is deploy :wink:
 
EasyBCD build 173

* Fixed bug introduced in b172 where unsupported {bootmgr} "device" parameters (e.g. "locate=....") would cause zero entries
* Updated PLoP to v5.0.014
* Updated NeoGrub to grub4dos-0.4.6a-2012-02-27
* Updated BCD binaries
 
EasyBCD build 175 updated.

* Fixes NeoGrub/ANG problems introduced in b173
* Language updates for save/open dialogs
* RU, UK, and FR language updates (thanks, guys!)
 
EasyBCD 2.2 beta build 177 uploaded. Lots of bug fixes:

* Fixed [EBCD-500] and [EBCD-502]: WinPE or VHD entry corruption on advanced settings change
* VHD identification at parse must be done in osdevice, not device
* Selecting VHD manually or automatically on Advanced Settings page disables drive option
* WinPE and VHD methods in Bcd.cs now trigger BcdChanged event to tell MainUI to refresh
* Automatic upgrades enabled for commercial version
* Fixed [EBCD-496]: Support high-contrast themes (fixed white-on-white text)
* Centered Useful Utilities icons when window is expanded
* Groupboxes for all pages extend to the same point
* Fixed layout issues on maximization of window:
-- Linux/Windows/Mac dropdowns no longer resize past window width
-- Unsigned 64-bit checkbox now in correct place
* [EBCD-495]: Support for VHDX files
* [EBCD-497]: Fixed all known high-DPI issues
* French language updates
 
Uploaded EasyBCD 2.2 beta build 180. This one fixes the majority of the outstanding issues for the 2.2 release, expect a final build "soon." Will determine what strings have been updated since their translations were provided and work to have those updated with the help of the translation

Some of the changes:
* [EBCD-498]: EasyBCD infinite loop when exiting after unsafe USB removal fixed
* [EBCD-505]: Support gentoo which has both /grub and /grub2 folders for some odd reason (upgrades, maybe?)
* [EBCD-506]: Support Fedora 17, ArchLinux, Gentoo, and more that now place core.img in a i386-pc subfolder
* [EBCD-504]: OEM licensing support
* [EBCD-499]: Resolve crash on start when .NET 3.5 is installed on Windows 8
* [EBCD-507] Maximum memory removable upped from 10,000 to 99,999
* Select advanced entry OS if available by default
* Corrected DPI scaling of CPU/memory limiting
* Explicitly exit EasyBCD after changing language (dagobert_78's issue)

Screenshot of EasyBCD on latest Windows 8 RC:

fHslS.png
 
Ladies and gentlemen! It's been a while, and hard as it is to believe, EasyBCD development never truly stopped.
Beta build after beta build collected dust on the development PC as new features were (slowly) added, but plans to hold back on a beta release until sufficient changes were implemented had the ultimate (and much-undesired) effect of putting off the launch of the EasyBCD 2.3 beta for quite some time.

All that changes, today we have a fresh beta build of EasyBCD hot off the compilers and ready for testing. EasyBCD 2.2 has been rock-solid and truly stood the test of time (and the release of an OS and "service pack" to boot), so don't expect any enormous changes, but EasyBCD 2.3 does bring some longer-awaited changes to the table.

Here's a quick summary:
* [EBCD-518]: Detect EFI and disable unsupported features
* [EBCD-519]: Detect presence of winload.efi as marker of LH-based menu entry and unlock advanced settings accordingly
* [EBCD-517]: Automatically use and load winload.efi on EFI machines
* [EBCD-522]: Catch and report errors about missing translation strings
* [EBCD-510]: Support OS X on a different physical disk
* [EBCD-521]: Detect Metro UI status, and add an option to enable/disable the Metro UI for the bootloader
* [EBCD-512]: Fixed alignment of help buttons on Advanced Settings page
* [EBCD-527]: FreeDOS support
* Licensing code speaks JSON to the new licensing server (bye-bye XML)
* Cleaned up element names in the UI for the benefit of our beloved translators

So, biggest changes are improved EFI support and full Metro UI options for the bootloader. Personally, I don't like the Metro bootloader, but a lot of you have asked for this feature. Note that the metro UI will only appear if the Windows 8 bootloader is in place (i.e. one or more of the Windows installations on the machine is Windows 8/Server 2012).

Without any further ado:

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 183
 
EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 191 has been uploaded.

* Plop has been updated to version 5.0.15
* NST Downloader (for automatic update in specific build) now works under both .NET 2.0 and .NET 4.0
* Smaller setup due to reduced dependencies
* All-new automatic update code, completely rewritten and more dynamic
* EasyBCD does not need full .NET 4 framework, client profile is now enough
* Fixed layout issues with cut off "default" column on Edit Entries page in different locales
* Better localization support, translating previously not-picked-up elements

The biggest changes in this build are to the automatic upgrade. EasyBCD now supports in-app update notification for beta builds separate from stable. Users running beta builds will be notified of either stable or beta updates to the software. Users running stable will only be notified of stable updates (which means you'll need to install a beta build after installing a stable build to get future beta build updates. This may change with an option in the about page, perhaps persisting to "check for beta updates" if the user ever used a beta build).

Please report any issues you are having with Windows 10, as it is nearing release. I am investigating ongoing issues with the metro bootloader not showing even when the option is ticked in EasyBCD and welcome all input on this topic.

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 191
 
EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 192 has been uploaded.

* [EBCD-530]: EasyBCD no longer shows EFI boot menu entries (from the system EFI menu, not the bootmgr EFI menu) except in advanced mode:

Old:
Before.png

New:
After.png

* [EBCD-532]: Refresh BCD after saving changes in options dialog (so it'll reflect changes to Expert Mode as above immediately)
* [EBCD-531]: Fixed crash on "Edit Legacy Entries" when the boot partition isn't mounted or is inaccessible
* Even smaller setup/deployable size by removing System.Core.dll dependency
* Updated copyright info in About dialog to 2015 (automatic for all languages)
* [EBCD-533]: Using HTTPS for communication with update server for security

Those of you using EasyBCD 2.3 beta build 191 and above should be prompted to upgrade automatically thanks to the new beta auto-update system implemented in the previous build! (Let me know if it doesn't do it for you!)

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 192
 
EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 193 has been uploaded.

This build resolves all known issues with USB deployment on EFI machines.

* [EBCD-535]: Fixed BCD deployment on EFI machines to local and external drives
* [EBCD-534]: Fixed crashes/exceptions when creating bootable USB on EFI
* Removed more unused references
* Corrected extra backslashes that appear in overview when deploying BCD to external drive

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 193
 
EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 195 has been uploaded.

This update is less-specific than previous builds, and changes quite a few things up beneath the hood. Will require more testing.

* [EBCD-437]: Fixes case-sensitive EFI detection
* Fixes issues with incorrect automatic BCD backup path in cases where the specified automatic backup path is invalid
* All message boxes are now owned by the EasyBCD window (no weird icons in taskbar, they steal focus from EasyBCD, can't return to EasyBCD without acknowledging them)
* Beta versions will always check for update on startup regardless of configuration or date of last auto update check
* [EBCD-438]: Fixes EasyBCD does not do font fallback correctly (was responsible for non-fixed-width font in Detailed Mode on Windows XP)
* Updated GRLDR to v0.4.5c 2014-01-17
* Fixed thread synchronization between update thread and edition checks (could result in wrong version being retrieved for automatic update. Don't think it ever actually happened, though)
* [EBCD-540]: Kill/close running EasyBCD instances when installing a new version (Hat-tip: Terry60)
* [EBCD-541]: EasyBCD settings are retained when upgrading to a newer version (Hat-tip: Terry60)
* [EBCD-542]: Fixed EasyBCD crash on startup if settings file in %appdata% is corrupted, outdated, or unreadable.
* [EBCD-543]: Fixed EasyBCD gets stuck in EFI mode (after detecting EFI it wouldn't allow EFI-unsafe operations on externally-loaded BCDs)
* [EBCD-514]: Digitally-sign the EasyBCD uninstaller

As you can see, many changes. Feedback is appreciated. Good luck and happy bug busting!

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 195
 
EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 196 uploaded.

This introduces only one feature, but it definitely has a lot of potential for breakage:

* [EBCD-544]: Dynamically refresh list of drives & partitions when a USB is inserted or removed

I'm expecting problems in cases where the UI becomes invalid due to the re-enumeration of disks/drives. Things to test for would be scenarios where the selected drive in any of the ~8 combo boxes showing drives/partitions is removed, when a preselected drop-down box item is cleared but not re-selected, etc leaving the form in an invalid state.

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 196

Happy bug hunting!
 
EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 197 uploaded.

Glad to report no problems have been reported in the past couple of months in the USB auto-refresh feature. Build 197 focuses on the bootloader display/timeout options, and addresses a few concerns:

* [EBCD-521]: More corrections/updates to improve Metro UI toggling on/off
* [EBCD-545]: Timeout displayed on summary page does not update after skipping/enabling boot menu
* [EBCD-546]: Timeout countdown control remains disabled when switching back to countdown mode

Download EasyBCD 2.3 Beta Build 197
 
EasyBCD 2.3 beta, build 199 uploaded.

Many changes, paving the way for a final 2.3 release soon.

* [EBCD-548]: Allow changing the locale of bootmgr itself from the boot menu options page
* [EBCD-500]: Fixed EasyBCD's locale detection to be case-insensitive (EasyBCD wouldn't understand not in xx-XX case format)
* [EBCD-547]: New setup icon
* No longer shipping with ntdetect and ntldr
 
EasyBCD 2.3 BETA build 201 has been uploaded.

The 2.3 beta program is winding down. Kindly test this build as if it were a final release.
Translators: EasyBCD 2.3's strings are now likely frozen. There are not many changes from 2.2, most new additions can be set to derive from English.

Changes since the last public beta build (199):
* Localization updates: Slovenian and Swedish. Thanks, guys!
* Updated EasyBCD redist binaries
* Web URLs from Useful Utilities now working
* [EBCD-556]: BootGrabber.exe Windows XP detection fixes running under 64-bit XP or Server 2003
* [EBCD-555]: EasyBCD string updating, future-proofing, Windows 10 references
* [EBCD-554]: Fixed unlabeled UI controls for compatibility with screen readers and other accessibility software
* [EBCD-551], [EBCD-552], [EBCD-553]: Makeover to Useful Utilities
* Cosmetic changes to the Bootloader Options group box to fix flow in different languages and on different screen sizes
* [EBCD-540]: New entries match {bootmgr}'s locale

Happy bug-busting!
 
EasyBCD 2.3 BETA build 202 is now available.

* Adds Czech (cs) translation which I previously forgot to include - thanks Tomaken1!
* [EBCD-558]: Using Segoe UI instead of Calibri
* [EBCD-557]: Recursively update UI fonts to match OS instead of only top-level form elements
 
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