Patrick Craig > MineSaver > FAQ

MineSaver : Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why?

  2. Why doesn't MineSaver run on Windows NT / 2000?

  3. Why doesn't MineSaver work with foreign versions of Minesweeper?

  4. Why does the MineSaver setup dialog look so poor?

  5. Can I have the source / will there be a new version?

  6. What are your best Minesweeper times?

  7. FAQs?



  1. Why?

    2. I developed a Minesweeper addiction during my Biological Computation MSc project at York University. I was spending more time playing Minesweeper than working on my project. I thought if I wrote a program to play Minesweeper for me it may cure my additiction. This was partially successful. The original program was written on Windows 3.1. After completing my MSc, I converted the program to a screensaver and updated it to recognise the Windows 95 version of Minesweeper.

  2. Why doesn't MineSaver run on Windows NT / 2000?

    3. I think this is becuase the windows API functions on these operating systems are more restrictive than on Windows 3.1 / 95 / 98, specifically they don't let you capture and manipulate windows owned by other applications.

  3. Why doesn't MineSaver work with foreign versions of Minesweeper?

    4. This is due to a safety check in the code. When it captures the Minesweeper window, it checks the name on the title bar. If the name is not "Minesweeper" it thinks it has captured the wrong window and exits. When the screensaver was written I wasn't aware that there were foreign versions of Minesweeper.

  4. Why does the MineSaver setup dialog look so poor?

    5. Because the code was compiled in 1996 using a very old version of Borland C++.

  5. Can I have the source / will there be a new version?

    6. I was living in England when I wrote the sceensaver and, after getting it to work with Windows 95, it got forgotton about on a floppy disk. Since then, I have moved to Japan. Last year I came across the Minesweeper World Records page and realised other people had suffered from Minesweeper addiction. The next time I was in England, I dug out the floppy from my father's attic and put it on this web site. Unfortunately, the source code on the floppy was corrupted when it reached Japan.

  6. What are your best Minesweeper times?

    7. Beginner - 1 second (luck, a couple of random clicks and it was all over)
    Intermediate - 36 seconds, see Intermine Hacker Hall of Fame
    Expert - 118 seconds

  7. Isn't it the case that you have never been asked any questions about MineSaver and you made up all the questions on this page in a feeble attempt to make your web site seem popular? As far as you know nobody has ever visited your site let alone downloaded your sad little screensaver.

    8. No comment.

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© Patrick Craig 2000