And now for something completely different.

Users have often lost demo clips by some strange algorithm hidden in the iStripper code. When free previews on the disc reach a certain size, iStripper deletes all previews (.demo files). The previews included in the purchased shows are also deleted. I know that this is annoying for many users (I'm one of them).

Updating the entire collection is very cumbersome and can consume a lot of time, transfer... and patience. You can update your shows one by one, but it requires a lot of clicking, sometimes iStripper updates the entire show instead of just downloading the demo files (especially in older shows) and you can't play the show while updating.

I decided to do something about it.

I knew that it is possible to download only the previews without having to update the entire show. So I decided to create a tool that will automate the process.

And here it is: Preview Downloader (v1.0)

With this tool you can (quote from manual):

• Update previews of purchased shows - download free previews of only those shows that are in your collection (full shows have been purchased).
• Update previews of non purchased shows - download free previews of only those shows that are not in your collection (full shows have not been purchased).
• Update previews of all shows - download free previews of all shows, regardless of whether they are in your collection or not.
• Update previews of selected shows - downloading free previews of shows selected by you.
• Continue previous session - resume the previous session if it was interrupted.
• Set the disk space for previews - change the amount of disk space reserved for free previews.

This tool has been tested on Windows XP, 7 and 10, but should work with Windows Vista and 8 as well.

If anyone's interested, the program can be downloaded from here:
DOWNLOAD: www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=preview_downloader

More about this tool: www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=preview_downloader_about
Requirements: www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=preview_downloader_req
Manual: www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=preview_downloader_manual

TRIVIA:
Did you know that with this tool you can download all missing previews with just 5 clicks?

NOTES:
1. Inspired by this thread (especially posts #596751 by @Wyldanimal and #605106 by @DestinationSeekr):

https://www.istripper.com/forum/thread/40547/1

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2. Because I'm not a professional programmer, the only thing I could do was to create a batch file (.bat). Who knows, maybe someday I will learn some normal programming language (C or Java). For now, the Windows scripting language must be enough for me

3. Any information about bugs found are welcome.

Thank you very much for creating this tool! I haven't lost any demos yet (knocks on wood), but it sure is nice to know that there is a tool which makes it possible to download them again, if necessary.

However, I encountered problems when trying to run setup.bat (didn't make a difference whether I was administrator or not). See pictures above. By pressing enter I could move at least until "Choose Installation Path" even with this error, but didn't proceed any further than that, just in case, and back pedalled with "Esc" to Welcome-screen. With every enter press, the number or error lines increased.

No buttons were created ("Next" and "Cancel") on the console, neither was the "Quit" action on the right corner.

I circled the section of the path that looks odd to me with red pen.

Hopefully this is something easy to fix or maybe I need to change something in my system before it can work?

I get the error that reads that the models folder is not found. It's true that I don't have the models folder n the C:\ drive with the 'bin' and 'data' folders in the vghd directory folder. My models live all alone on an external F drive. They were moved there by the GUI when iStripper was still VirtuagirlHD in the way back when of 2013.

I have no idea how the models get from the external drive to the iStripper program and eventually onto my monitor, nor, to be honest, do I really care. But it would be handy to be able to tell the 'preview downloader' where the models live so that the missing previews can be restored.

Thank you for info. Let's see...

@Dfner
From what i see the script can't find the path to the batbox.exe file. Batbox.exe is a helper that allows user to extend functionality of the console with things such as, for example, coloring the window content or creating interactive buttons. As a pretty large part of this type of helpers, some antivirus programs may treat it as a trojan or unwanted software. Try this:

1. Unpack the archive.
2. Go to the unzipped content and open the data folder.
3. Check if the batbox.exe exists.
4. If the batbox.exe does not exist, it is quite possible that the antivirus program moved it to quarantine.
5. If so, try temporarily deactivate the antivirus, unpack the contents of the downloaded archive and run setup again.

Let me know what antivirus you use.
Later, I will try to post a picture with full content of the arcjive. At least we will be able to check if content of the zip isn't modified by any antivirus software.

Thanks for tip about antivirus. That indeed was the reason, and batbox.exe was not in the data-folder. I use McAfee Livesafe and it had moved at least some of the files (including batbox.exe) into quarantine. I disabled McAfee, then downloaded the zip again and extracted it, and now it worked further in the installation.

But then I was halted with the same issue as @Chicsans: the installer couldn't find .../vghd/models -folder, and that's because my shows are on the external drive. In GUI settings I have set the folders only as "G:\iStr\Shows" and "H:\iStr\Shows" (because sometimes my PC assigns drive G: and sometimes H: to my external drive...)

Is there a way through this obstacle? Could you perhaps change the installer so that it checks the folder from your GUI settings, or, if there is more than one folder set (as in my case), the installer would prompt user to enter the path?

@Dfner , have you assigned a drive letter to your external drive using the disk management tool in Windows?

Here is the image showing the contents of zip archive (as a reference).

Unfortunately, some files may be considered dangerous by some anti-viruses. These files are:

• batbox.exe
• bc.exe
• cursorSize.exe

These files are not a threat. To avoid moving these files to quarantine, add them to the list of exceptions. I will not say how to do it, because it may look different depending on the antivirus program.

Thanks to the batbox.exe and cursorSize.exe tools, it is possible to build more user-friendly interfaces in the console window. The bc.exe program is used to perform calculations that go beyond the capabilities of the cmd command processor (cmd is standard in every Windows system).


@Dfner, @Chicsans
I have to admit, there is one case that I forgot to test: when there is a path saved under the ModelsPath in Windwos registry, but the path didn't exist because user has moved his whole collection somewhere else, he deleted the old directory but he didn't removed the old path from iStripper settings.

Two things to do:
1. Fix the above bug.
2. Add the possibility of defining custom target path by the user if there is no default path.

Thank you both very much.

.
.
.

EDIT:

Could you perhaps change the installer so that it checks the folder from your GUI settings, or, if there is more than one folder set (as in my case), the installer would prompt user to enter the path?

iStripper saves all paths in the system registry. Preview Downloader reads these paths and decides where the files will be saved. If the user has defined several directories (multipath), Preview Downloader will check if there is a "x0123" subfolder in any directory for the currently processed show. If it exists, Preview Downloader will check if the disk has enough space to save the files. If it doesn't exist, then Preview Downloader will look for another directory and choose the one located on the disk with the largest amount of free space.

@Chicsans No I hadn't changed it, but thanks for the tip. I use only one external drive for iStripper, of course, but even if I always use the same USB port for it, for some reason my system sometimes makes it a G-drive and some other times H-drive.

I googled a bit, and finally managed to find "Disk Management", where I could change my external drive's letter to G: (it was H: at the moment...).

This was nice bit of info, thanks again. I only have three external drives in total, so I can pick the drive letters for the other two later on.

I have to admit, there is one case that I forgot to test: when there is a path saved under the ModelsPath in Windwos registry, but the path didn't exist because user has moved his whole collection somewhere else, he deleted the old directory but he didn't removed the old path from iStripper settings.Two things to do:1. Fix the above bug.2. Add the possibility of defining custom target path by the user if there is no default path.

I hope this means that you are about to change this tool so that the path can be user defined? Wouldn't like to tamper with the registry with my computer skills... 😲😀

Thanks again for your efforts in this!

I hope this means that you are about to change this tool so that the path can be user defined? Wouldn't like to tamper with the registry with my computer skills... 😲😀

Thanks again for your efforts in this!

@Dfner , I certainly agree with you on that. My computer skills aren't up to messing with the registry either.

When I moved my models storage folder way back then, I used the tool provided in the iStripper software. I had assumed that it made the necessary registry changes and would have deleted the old pathways too.

This is a great thing, wondeful, Thankyou

due to a power outage, i had to start the process over. I got some error about ini files being changed

So starting over its not progressing father than shown. for the last half hour

Edit: Its been an hour since i retsarted, still no progress

Edit: The Log files show nothign relivant to this attempt, going by the time stamps, which indicate only the first interupted session

Edit: backed up the log file, deleted the old install and am now starting over. with a fresh install

@Yuufa

If the power outage occurred while writing to the .ini file, then the file was incomplete and hence the error message. After restarting, the script should overwrite old ini file and create a new one.

A situation similar to those you can find in video games. Often in "triple A" video games you can see information like "Do not turn off the power when this icon is displayed". The game saves player's progress, and when the player turns off the power during writing to file, his savegame will be damaged. The same applies to any other software. If you turn off the power when writing to a file, the file will be incomplete and in most cases it will be useless.

I'm not sure what could have gone wrong in your case. I'm not sure why the script got stuck in place. Next time in case of similar error, try the following:

• close the script,
• open the script installation directory,
• delete the session.ini file,
• delete the cards.txt file,
• run the script again.

PS. New version will be available soon. The bug mentioned by @Chicsans and @Dfner was removed. You will be able to manually enter the path if the default paths are not available. I will do some tests and let you know when the new version will be online.

The new version of Preview Downloader is available to download:

Preview Downloader (v1.1):
www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=preview_downloader

What's new in this version:

• Update: added the option to manually enter the target path to the "models" directory in case the default paths can not be found.
• Update: the user's manual has been updated.
• Fix: the message about paused download, while the "Delay between downloads" option was enabled, was displayed incorrectly. Fixed.
• Fix: the way of declaring variables and parameters in the script has been improved.

How can I manually change the "target path" in the preview downloader program, my folder "models" is in my external disk e: ?

disk e: does not appear in "path" as seen in my screenshot.

thank you !

Comment puis-je changer manuellement le "target path" dans le programme preview downloader, mon dossier "models" est dans mon disque externe e: ?

le disque e: n'apparaît pas dans "path" comme on le voit dans ma capture d'écran.

Merci !

The script has been designed so that it can choose the right target path without user interaction (to avoid human errors while selecting the right target path).

No matter if you have only one storage folder or if you specified several storage folders in iStripper settings, the script is looking for all of them and at least one must be available. If none of storage folders is available, then the script should ask you to provide your own target path.

I'm going to change that behavior and add the option to Settings section. Then the user will be able to download all previews to any folder, even outside the "models" directory.

As I understand it, the program works well for me, even if nothing appears in "Path" ?

Si je comprend bien, le programme fonctionne correctement pour moi, même si rien n'apparaît dans "Path" ?

Honestly, I'm not sure without knowing what happens on your side. The easiest way is to check if the processed cards has the demo clips. Make sure if the demo clips are downloaded:

• quit iStripper,
• go to data folder,
• locate and delete the models.lst file,
• start iStripper again and wait a while until it recreates the models.lst file,
• open details of any of the processed cards and go to Previews tab,
• check if previews exists.

It would be nice if you could send me the log file from Preview Downloader. The Preview Downloader creates two log files: session.log and session.html. You can find them in downloader's installation directory. I will send you my e-mail in PM. Please send me any of the log files (you can send both). I will look at this.

@ComteDracula

I checked the logs. It seems that the first 16 previews were already on your disk and they didn't have to be downloaded again.

The target path can not be displayed continuously in "Path" field, because there could be more than one target path (user could specify more than one storage folder).

The downloader first retrieves information about the clips included in the free preview. At this stage, the target path is not known yet, so the downloader does not display anything in "Path" field. The downloader then checks if the currently processed preview already exists in any of available storage folders. If the preview already exists, the downloader proceeds to the next show and still nothing is displayed in the "Path" field ... but, if the preview does NOT exist, the downloader determines to which folder the preview should be downloaded. The target path is now known and can be displayed in the "Path" field.

I know, it may seem a bit complicated. In other words: the program works well for you 😉

thank you very much @lukaszr for the informations and for the program.

It's really appreciated. 😊


Merci beaucoup @lukaszr pour les informations et pour le programme.

C'est vraiment apprécié. 😊

I cannot get this to work.
McAfee security centre quarantined the initial zip download. I restored it. After unzipping batbox.exe was in the data directory as it should be.
When I run setup.bat, Windows asks me if it's OK to change setting on the PC; I say Yes; the box starts, but exits after about 2 seconds.

What is your system version?

As described here:
https://www.isworkshop.eu/index.php?p=preview_downloader_bugs#bug_001
add these files to the exceptions list in your antivirus program:
bc.exe, batbox.exe, cursorSize.exe, getInput.exe, then try again.

If you still can not get it to work, try manual installation:

Copy the contents of the data folder (located in the downloaded archive) to the folder where the Preview Downloader should be installed. Create all necessary shortcuts to the script manually. The shortcuts should point to the downloader.bat file. If you want, you can set the icon for a shortcut to make the shortcut clearly associated with the Preview Downloader script. As icon you can use the prvdwnl.ico file.

@Lukasr
I wish it kept a full log of the full address of each clip it downloaded.
it does log which card it downloaded, but I could find a log for every clip.
maybe an option, to keep a log of the full url of every clip it downloads.

No problem. Just added this to the "to do" list.

@lukaszr

You are like a godsend and this is very interesting to me. In fact, I'm not sure why it took so long for me to find this.

I have followed your guide to a T and I am hoping to get just the preview downloaded for a card I own, lets say a0712
so I made a list.txt file with just the text a0712 in it and saved it to C: drive for convenience, this drive is also where i have my istripper data.

However , I am getting the error on screen when trying to load the file. Is it me or did i miss the boat,.... etc?

@DestinationSeekr

Preview Downloader uses the openFile.exe program to read the path to the txt file. I suggest checking if the openFile.exe has been blocked by an antivirus or firewall program. Let me know.

Just checked, openFile.exe is able to run and isn't being blocked. PC is running Win 7.


Here is a snippet of the session.log :

========== New session: 24-05-2020 14:03:27.04 ==========
[14:03:29.05] INF: DataPath: C:\Users\ Xxxxx\AppData\Local\vghd\data
[14:03:29.06] INF: ModelsPath[0]: C:\Users\ Xxxxx\AppData\Local\vghd\models
[14:04:11.16] ERR: "14:04.02 91[dbg] Exiting CShellExt::GetPriority" file is missing
[14:04:11.19] ERR: Custom list not exist

========== New session: 24-05-2020 14:16:56.45 ==========
[14:17:01.85] INF: DataPath: C:\Users\ Xxxxx\AppData\Local\vghd\data
[14:17:01.86] INF: ModelsPath[0]: C:\Users\ Xxxxx\AppData\Local\vghd\models
[14:32:43.55] ERR: "14:17.12 96[dbg] last print time1590310032" file is missing
[14:32:43.58] ERR: Custom list not exist

========== New session: 24-05-2020 14:37:28.87 ==========
[14:37:31.83] INF: DataPath: C:\Users\Xxxxx\AppData\Local\vghd\data
[14:37:31.83] INF: ModelsPath[0]: C:\Users\Xxxxx\AppData\Local\vghd\models
[14:37:41.93] ERR: "14:37.38 94[dbg] last print time1590311258" file is missing
[14:37:41.96] ERR: Custom list not exist


(where Xxxxx is the user account name)

So I uninstalled and then tried to reinstall the software to a shorter path on C:
and I am getting a similar issue when chosing the target destination path.

In both cases, i.e. choosing (L)oad or (B)rowse , the software opens up a second window and allows me to navigate to a location on my drive and choose the file or set the directory. But when it closes back to the original (blue) screen, the path is displaying some message instead.

I thought maybe this information could help you to analyse better?