calculatorwindows 7windows 8windows 8.1
Just did a clean install of Win7 x64. I have a Microsoft Ergo Keyboard 4000 and use the calculator key a lot.
Previously, in Windows XP, I could hit it and get multiple copies of calculator to popup. Now it will only show one copy of calculator. I tried adding a shortcut to the calculator app but it has the same limitation. However if I click the calculator icon it will open a new one each time.
How can I fix this so each time I press the calculator key it will open a new copy?
I'm very impressed with Qalculate!.
I have been wrestling with that annoyance also and I discovered that the HKCU\Software\AppDataLow\Software\JavaSoft\DeploymentProperties registry key gets its values from the user's deployment.properties file.
I have been deleting the file, recreating it then writing the properties/values that I want before Java loads. I have been running from the all users start up successfully on a Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit test computer for the past two days.
Here is a PowerShell function that has worked for me:
Function JavaProperties
{
$userProfile = $Env:USERPROFILE
Remove-Item -Path "$($userProfile)\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment\deployment.properties" -Force
New-Item -Path "$($userProfile)\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment" -ItemType File -Name "deployment.properties"
$deployFroperties = Get-ChildItem -Path "$($userProfile)\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where{$_.Name -eq "deployment.properties"} | Select -ExpandProperty FullName
$expDecision = New-TimeSpan -Start $($(Get-Date).ToString()) -End "January 1, 2020 11:59:00 PM" | Select -ExpandProperty TotalMilliseconds
$expDecision
Add-Content -Path $deployFroperties -Value "deployment.expiration.decision.suppression.10.51.2=true" -Force
Add-Content -Path $deployFroperties -Value "deployment.expiration.decision.10.51.2=later" -Force
Add-Content -Path $deployFroperties -Value "deployment.expiration.decision.timestamp.10.51.2=$expDecision" -Force
Add-Content -Path $deployFroperties -Force -Value "deployment.system.tray.icon=true"
}#End Function JavaProperties
Best Answer
Finally figured out a solution!
UPDATE 2014
This has been tested on Windows 8 and 8.1 and works.
Using a VBS file will make the calculator instance keep focus.
Just create a text file like calculator.vbs and copy/paste the above code and double click or link the file to your keyboard button.
[ORIGINAL ANSWER]
Hopefully this isn't specific to a version of IntelliType. However I'm using IntelliType 8.2 x64 for Windows 7 with my Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.
Once you have installed IntelliType go to Control Panel -> Keyboard then Key Settings tab.
Find the Calculator button in the Key Name column and click Configure. It will be defaulted to "Starts Calculator" now choose "Start a program, Web page, or file" and locate your copy of calc.exe which should be in your system32 folder. In my case it's "C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe"
Click "Finish" and it's now assigned and working as it did on previous Windows.
Now when you click the calculator button it will open multiple calculators instead of just bringing focus to an existing one.
As part of owning a business I do most of the bookkeeping. And having the ability to rapidly open multiple calculators with the calc button is great!