"Validate" Button Missing From Licence Window

CyberSimian

I have just signed up for the 30-day trial of DrivePool on my Vista Media Center PC.  This was much more convoluted than it should have been.

My Media Center PC is not connected to the internet, so I followed the steps described in the user manual to cut and paste the request code into the web site, and then cut and paste the response code into the licence window.  This is where the problems started, because the entry field to paste the response into was off the bottom of the screen, even with the window moved up as far as possible.

I run my Media Center with the screen resolution set to 1228x690, so I temporarily changed the resolution to 1920x1080, to ensure that all of the licence window would be on the screen.  But that did not solve the problem, because now the "Validate" button was off the bottom of the window (note: off the bottom of the window, not off the bottom of the screen).

Why was this?  Well, it was because I use my Vista system with the font size set to medium, and the size of the licencing window is too small to accommodate anything other than small fonts.  So I had to change the font size back to small (Start->Control Panel->Display->Font Size), reboot, complete the licencing procedure, change the font size back to medium, reboot, change the screen resolution back to 1228x690.

You need to make the licencing window scrollable, to avoid this problem.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

CyberSimian

I have now had a chance to use DrivePool, and I realise that the problem described above is more serious than I had thought. First some clarifications: I am using the just-released version of DrivePool (2.0.0.160 beta), and I am installing it on Windows 7 Home Premium (which is my test system; Vista is my "production" system).

After resetting my screen resolution and font size, I rebooted and started DrivePool. The window appeared NOT maximised (the correct start-up choice, I think), and I was presented with a scrollable list of drives that I could add to the pool. I selected one and created the first pool. After performing its initialisation, I was presented with a pie chart showing the space available. Unfortunately, the list of drives below the pie chart was now reduced to a horizontal line about 2-3 pixels in width. So quite impossible to select any more drives to add to the pool.

I maximised the window, and the extra height now allowed one drive to appear in the scrollable list. However, this is poor usability. I think that the list of drives should be shown in full, and the window should be scrollable and resizeable (like a web page). A quick fix would be to reduce the size of the pie chart, or allow the user to toggle its presence, or omit it entirely.

Having maximised the window, I then could find no way to return the window to "windowed" mode, since the normal window controls seem to be missing (is this a Windows 7 style?)

The problem with the licence window gives a poor impression to a new user who encounters it, but activating the software is once per system, so that does not present an on-going usability problem. But the main DrivePool window exhibiting the same difficulties IS an on-going usability problem, and I would not use software that remained like this, so I hope that you can fix it.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

japrehm

The good news is that DP 2 is still in beta.

Screen shots when explaining UI issues make it MUCH easier to understand, and see what you are looking at. I had to recreate the issue to fully understand the problem. But since you are using a very odd resolution the best I could so is 1024x768. 

1024x768 Default Font Size (100% - smaller)

http://puu.sh/1YYD4

1024x768 Medium Font Size (125%)

http://puu.sh/1YYs9

1024x768 Large Font Size (150%)

http://puu.sh/1YYxL

You also get the same issue if you make the interface wider. 

http://puu.sh/1YYIF

CyberSimian

Screen shots when explaining UI issues make it MUCH easier to understand, and see what you are looking at.

Agreed; apologies for not thinking to do that.

Of your three screen shots with successively larger fonts, the third one (large fonts) is the one that comes closest to what I am seeing with medium fonts, except that my drive list is even more compressed vertically (a result of the odd screen resolution that I am using, I suspect).

I am away from home at the moment, but will post a screen shot when I get back (several days).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

japrehm

Right yours should be even smaller with 108 less vertical pixels. I'm sure Alex will come up with something to fix this. 

Edited my screen shots as I noticed I pasted the wrong link for the last shot. 

CyberSimian

The screen shot below shows the DrivePool window on my HTPC when there is one drive in the pool, and 4 other drives that could be added (C: E: R:):

http://www.xenscape.com/anon/drivepool.jpg

-- from CyberSimian in the UK