Greetings!

As some of you may have already heard, we have been working on a new Dynamic IP Update Tool for Windows. With help from forum users, we have reached lucky version 2.0b13 and KJK was able to add a major feature.

This client has logic to not only update your IP, but will also add VPN Typo Exceptions with the NetBios devices on your network such as printers and file servers.

You may download the tool from http://www.opendns.com/download/windows/dynamicip

Since this is a beta test version, please provide us with feedback (both positive and negative feedback welcome.) We are especially interested in how the new typo exception feature is working for you.

Other changes from previous stable realeases: This runs as a background process. Once you install it and click the automatically update, you can exit the UI and it will run silently.

Thanks,
Dima
Project Manager

KJK has released version 14 to fix a critical bug discovered yesterday

So far, so good.

What's the issue?
1. Right-click the systray icon, and select "Run Hidden".
2. Or start it as a "scheduled task" under "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM".
3. Or start it as a service with SrvAny.exe. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/137890

You may need to copy the folder and files from "%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\OpenDNS Updater" to the other "user's" home's application data then.

@rotblitz

Thanks for your comments.

I can't reproduce the problem of window popping up during WLAN connection setup with latest 2.0b14.

What I did to simulate the problem was: unplugged from network, rebooted, logged in. Per your post, I should have seen IP Updater's window showing error message about no internet connection but I didn't.

Note that you would see this message if you start the program manually (as opposed to being auto-started at login) but that's because the UI is always shown when program is started manually.

In your case, are you starting the program manually? What is the exact error message shown when that happens? What kind of WLAN connection is this (ethernet? wireless?).

As to log format, we are going to keep it as is for now to aid in internal debug.

@roblitz

Thanks for additional info. What happens when you just logoff/logon (i.e. when you have internet connectivity when the updater starts)? Does the Updater windows is shown as well?

What is the exact path in HKCU:Run registry? (I would expect it to be sth. like "C:\Program Files\OpenDNS Updater\OpenDNSUpdater.exe" /autostart, with /autostart being important since this is how updater determines whether to show the window at startup or not).

@kjk
"What happens when you just logoff/logon (i.e. when you have internet connectivity when the updater starts)?"
Yes, the Updater window shows up as well. Apparently this is not really related to the internet connection still not enabled, but it seems to show up generally when one logs in. In this context, the option "Run hidden" is apparently valid only for the current login session. The program doesn't seem to store, remember and reuse this option at all. However, I would have expected that it is effective across login sessions, but isn't, so was a misunderstanding from my side.

I would like to suggest the following, and I think that this is the wish of most users. If the "Run hidden" option is selected, this setting shall be stored and reused until explicitly changed again. This means that no window should show up at startup, and no systray icon shall appear at all. But see the following.

"What is the exact path in HKCU:Run registry?"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"OpenDNS Updater"="D:\\Programme\\OpenDNS Updater\\OpenDNSUpdater.exe"

"...with /autostart being important since this is how updater determines whether to show the window..."
Aha, this seems to be the clue! No, there is no /autostart parameter. Why didn't the updater set this during installation? This still seems to be a problem of the installer, isn't it? You do not really expect a normal user to edit this in the registry, do you? Well, I will do this for now to see how the behavior looks then and will report back.

The new entry:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"OpenDNS Updater"="\"D:\\Programme\\OpenDNS Updater\\OpenDNSUpdater.exe\" /autostart"
Note that I had to enclose the path in quotes, as it contained a space character.

Edit after having manually introduced the /autostart parameter:
Brilliant, the Updater window does not show up anymore now when logging in. So it works out to be an installer problem not setting the /autostart parameter.

On the other hand, the systray icon still shows up, so "Run hidden" is really not persistent, but should be. Only if the user starts the Updater from the start menu, the window and also the systray icon shall appear again, or alternatively, put a "Run hidden" checkbox into the window as well.

rotblitz:

Which was the first beta you installed?
The autostart switch was appended to the program path in my Run entry, but I've been installing the beta since the first one was released. Perhaps the installer on later betas is misconfigured? (Reminds me of Marc's Updater - anyone who had installed a version prior to the last one didn't have the registry problem.)

"The installer should always check if the registry entry exists, and if it is correct."

One would think so, no? Unfortunately, not all installer seem to behave so well, even when properly configured.

Seems that you are making good use of public beta testing. Kudos!

"auto run hide, of service (mode service) - background,mimized"
srvany.exe is your friend.
https://ssl.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbwssl.cgi?Gw=srvany.exe+site%3Amicrosoft.com

Or use the "Scheduled Tasks" feature to start it at system startup or at login under a different user ID, e.g. "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM".

But what does it need more than 11MB RAM for?

Strange, in between it went down to 4,984kB, but peak still shows 11.320kB. Very dynamic!

Well, although I am always almost obsessively updating all my programs (and their databases/av fingerprints etc.), I simply need to ask if there is any reason to upgrade to v2 from v1 (I guess the latest version 1.3, built 187), that I am currently using??

Especially since I don't have/use VPN and have no printer and/or file server. Are there any other fixes/new features that were implemented and not listed above in the OP?!

Thanks in advance, Ivan Tadej

I had a couple of issues. When I open the program window and click on "About this Program" it opens a website at "http://www.opendns.com/support/article/90" Shouldn't it show the program version?

I upgraded anyway, but it looks like the new version took a space out of the file name that was in the previous version and when I look at the Windows startup folder it said the file was no longer there and of course offered to remove the shortcut. I was able to change the file reference, but some less experienced user might not figure it out. (Not that I claim to be an expert. LOL)

Ray

And this version doesn't support dnsomatic?

Then again, DNS-O-MATIC hasn't worked in 6 months =/

@radmoose
"And this version doesn't support dnsomatic?"
No, it doesn't. You had to use another one: https://www.dnsomatic.com/wiki/software
And you can update OpenDNS via DNS-O-Matic then with no need for the OpenDNS Updater.

"Then again, DNS-O-MATIC hasn't worked in 6 months =/"
What doesn't work? I'm not aware of that it didn't work.

@inzanity
"Do I need to register separately for the Updater?"
No, it uses the same credentials. Check again that they are in sync.

"Also, why do we need to sign in to the Updater?"
You do not and cannot sign in to or through the Updater, but the Updater must authenticate itself against OpenDNS when doing its job. Therefore it needs to know your login credentials.

Since DNS-O-Matic is an OpenDNS product, why can't Version 2 update it, when v1 could?
This makes v2 LESS useful than v1.

Turns out it was blocked by symantec. it seems to be using two programs to access the internet: open dns for windows and open dns updater

frustrated father

@grd
v1: http://www.opendns.com/download/windows/ (still)

@frustratedfather
Go into the control panel and uninstall everything you find regarding OpenDNS Updater. I'm sure you still had an older installed, and now both are alive and interfere with each other. Then install whatever Updater from scratch.

Simply click that botton "Uninstall Service" in the program window...

Start > Programs > OpenDNS Updater > Tab "Settings" > Button "Uninstall Service"
(Please note, I have a German version, terms may be slightly different.)

So the 'run as service' function is not in the new updater?

Having installed the new updater, I kinda wish I hadn't. I still have the old version running as a service, and now the new version sitting in the system tray. The new version seems to be less configurable and does not have the run-as-a-service option or Start with Windows as an option. So where's the benefit in using it over the more user-friendly older version? I'm confused.

Just one suggestion:

I'd like a quick FAQ, maybe a lot of the questions here in the settings could fit in there! And regarding this I then like to know: Is it x64 and Windows 7 compatible? Sorry for having to ask it, but since using that OS-Version and some troubles I can't stop asking this first of all.