*Cough* Windows Magnifier!

I like this magnifier better than the Windows one but that big, yellow pointer right in the middle of the viewing area is a nuisance.

The windows resizing tool under command mode does not work for me.

Any movement of the mouse to another position changes the window size - so you can not move to another spot.

There is no way to lock the size of the window.

Thank you GAOTD! first and foremost.

This program is not what you get for free with Vista, it is far superior to it for those who really investigate all of the parameters and modes available with this product. Furthermore, it is a very rare and wonderful thing when you can find useful and professional grade software for FREE!

I, myself, am a christian professional programmer, web designer, game developer, electronics engineer, and musician. And I am truly grateful as to have found this website and this software. I do a lot of graphic design work with images and this tool will save me 100's of hours in design and rework time alone. Anyone that has done graphic design work longs for something like this to come along, and to find it for free is truly a blessing.

As for all of you who scoff at software that folks like myself use up countless hours of our own lives to develop something for you to interact with and hopefully take pleasure from it, I have no pity for your foolish and thankless attitudes. For here is a very simple newsflash... everything that man has created has it's flaws no matter how well it is tested. All that can be done is to give what we do our very best. Then thank God for the talent He has given everyone of us, and ask Him to guide us through the journey.

It only takes one act of valor with integrity through faith to turn the tide and save a life, for the days are evil.

May Honor always know your deeds well,

This is a useful program to people who who have a hard time seeing smaller print, count your blessings IF that is not an issue for you.

I want to thank all who work to make these downloads available to the many who financial circumstances would make having these a possibility.
THANK YOU!

I isntalled this and was wondering if anyone knows if you can leave the magnifier in one location and free up your system cursor to go elswhere?

ALso, I have a trackball, can the mouse shaking work with that or must it be a mouse?

I have a WACOM tablet with mouse that I'll install soon, it that going to be too much for this program, or will it recognize the two different ones and respond to either? I use the tablet for my left-handed self!

All to Love & gratefully yours, sharon

Install well on my computer without any problems. Work perfect, nothing wrong has happended. This software work better than the magnifier that microsoft support. It has a lot of options you can choose to use. For me, i think the best benefit i get from this software is I usally work with large circuit, when i need to zoom in one part, i can do it faster with some "mouse-saking" and then turn it off in the same way. It's a good idea.Thanks GAOD and Workers Collection company.

I just bought this recently. You lucky devils get it for free. Works just fine and if your vision starts to lag, like mine, this is just the ticket.

This may be normal behavior since it has to track the cursor as you type, and that means trapping keystrokes. While I typically use Super Magnify, as it has a smaller footprint and doesn't need to stay in the systray, this program seems to offer a few additional useful features as well.

KuoH

Jon K asked:

C:\Program Files\MagniGlassPro\MagniGlassPro.exe has loaded MGPro15h.dll into Skype.exe using a global hook which could be used by keyloggers to steal private information.
Is this MGPro15h.dll hooking a security threat?

Kind of strange but after I installed Magnifying Glass Pro on XP Pro, my startup programs quit loading. Not all, my history cleaner was first, then my security suite. Uninstalled & reinstalled my history cleaner but it still didn't load.
I uninstalled Magnifying Glass Pro with Revo, restarted & still had the issues.
Cleaned 28 registry erors & did a system restore to yesterday & everythings back to normal. I'll atribute it to all the custom settings I use but it did happen.
This was a real shame for me because I had a few very specific things I really could have used it for.

Window's XP says it is a limited version and users who want more functionality should use one that has it. Not exact words. From the demonstration of this one it appears to have a lot more functionality though I doubt I need it since I never use the Windows, but I am going to try it.

I need this it very good now I can see ok not like some that not look, as for XP one not good to small this size as you like try it you may like it.Separate Manual can be downloaded (200KB, .chm help file).I don't know if you need this as help is good.

I am one who had already purchased a MS Intellipoint mouse with a magnifier (because the standard WIN magnifier sucks - IMO-). With the mouse software installed I just have to click one of the small buttons (adjustable) and it magnifies an adjustable size of the screen. I really like that feature because I just put the mouse where I want to enlarge and click a button.

That said, today's give away is also a great program with LOTS of adjustments and options. I installed it easily on WIN XP with no problems and (so far) no conflicts with other programs. I particularly like that it will follow your curser when typing (that is something my Intellipoint won't do).

The best news is both programs exist loaded up at the same time, so I have no conflicts - I can use them both and even together!

For those that are concerned about this program calling home (the auto-update feature doesn't offer a "never" option), just adjust your firewall to not allow the program to dial out. If your firewall doesn't offer this option, you might consider a better firewall.

Two thumbs up for me - this is a PROFESSIONAL program and I highly recommend it! And it's FREE! Get it and keep it - eventually you'll be happy you did.

Thanks, GAOTD!

I gaveup on the xp magnifier a long time ago. I couldn't give up a chunk of screen for it. Besides, my eyes got tired moving back and forth from screen to magnifier. If the window floats, I missed it.
I haven't fully utilized MGP, but what I've seen so far impresses me. It's all about accessibility, folks. If you have no problems with, say, your vision or your wrist, elbow, shoulder or neck from mousing or your fingers from keying, give it time. You'll get there, and then you'll really appreciate software that compensates.
Thanks, GOTD.

Just another quick point If you go to the link below......

Just Click Here Manual Download

You will find a lot more information in several languages PLUS there is a download for the operating manual.

That should answer a lot of the questions above

Cannot understand why so many thumbs down....This is a good program

Just use ZoomIt...does the same things and more and it's ALWAYS FREE....I don't know why people need to defend this s/w. You shouldn't base your comment on the fact that it's free. If you crash your computer or get a new one, you'll have to PAY to use this s/w. Save your cash and try ZoomIt :P

There is an opensource, freeware alternative:
Virtual Magnifying Glass 3.3.1
http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/
Thanks, anyway!
Nandor

Though I cannot and don't want to comment everyday, today I really have to say that we have to admire Fubar for his excellent comments. Espacially #98 is right on target.
Neber judge things only by their looks.

Major aggravation. Downloaded and installed MGP without a hitch. Launched MGP on my Vista Home Premium 64-bit and read the warnings about Aero being (supposedly) temporarily disabled which was okay with me thinking that MGP would turn Aero back on after exiting the program (as its documentation suggests).

Not only would it *not* turn Aero back on, the mouse pointer would appear and disappear on different areas of the screen, and the applications would not even respond to the cursor keys on my keyboard. It sent my system to sleep in the middle of burning a DVD while attempting a restart. It would not recover from the sleep mode so I had to hard boot it.

All the apps and utilities which I use for Internet access were shot, the Windows Sidebar had been turned off and a couple more minor issues. But now, about two hours later, my system is back to where it was.

This looked like a really great utility which I could very handily use. Unfortunately, based on my experience, tread really, really carefully when applying this to a 64-bit Vista system.

I forgot to mention, the Help button in the MGP user interface is in a non-standard position, at the lower-left.

I noticed that all the whiners on here are usually at the top of the comment list! Hmmmmmm.



Thanks, GAOTD Team for supplying a much needed program. It may not be a popular give away for the majority of users, but it is great for those who have sight problems or need a really good magnifier for creative projects.


GAOTD TEAM...YOU ROCK!

Ignorance isn't a problem, as long as you're willing to learn. It's being too apathetic to think, look at anything, use anything, or learn anything, which is the problem.

To all the people who said "Who needs this? Windows does this, as does my word processor, my browser, and my photo editors and viewers." First, to the people who were surprised that such functionality existed, read your application's Help, learn the menus and options, and learn the keyboard and mouse shortcuts. Second, those features only work in certain applications, and only in certain areas of those applications. Third, the Windows magnifier, which, as I recall, Microsoft only added after a number of people wrote magnifiers, sucks. The Vista version is a little better, because it can be undocked and resized, but still has numerous annoying useability issues. While IE 7 added a number of features which had been in Firefox for a long time, Firefox 3 added true zoom (images and all) which has always been in IE 7 (it can also zoom some Flash windows, etc.)

Near the very top of this page, there's a link to several animated tours of various features in MGP, which obviously many posters never looked at. Nor did they look at the features listed to the right. Nor did they go to the product's website, which GOTD always provides a link to, near the top.

Regarding some Vista issues which I mentioned in comment #21 and several others have mentioned. The Vista Magnifier supports Aero, MGP still doesn't. Whether or not the switch is annoying depends mostly upon how many visible windows are open, and how fast your computer and video card can update the screen. For those who say MGP documents what Vista users should do, most of that documentation is incorrect. In Vista, MGP always switches off Aero while the glass is visible, and I'm not going to permanently turn off Aero. To the person who said Aero wouldn't turn back on, it won't while the glass is visible. If the glass is off and it didn't turn back on, do some research. Maybe that requires Administrator privileges. While Activate needs to be run as an Administrator, I said that MGP might need to be run as an Administrator in some cases, based on Vista documentation for screen-capture utilities and Vista security, which supposedly doesn't allow some applications to see some windows without Administrator privileges. I haven't personally run into that situation with MGP.

#24, Curt, apparently a great many people are too lazy to check the change list on the website, it's more complete than yours (up through 1.7.1).

#43, Lori, regarding your issue which you blamed on Astro Gemini, it's actually a problem with MGP, which I had previously informed them of. The problem with MGP's implementation of mouse-shaking is that it doesn't actually track the mouse, it apparently tracks the cursor. That's inaccurate and computationally expensive. The problem is, programs (and Windows) jump the mouse cursor around, which MGP can misinterpret as mouse-shaking. Apart from turning off mouse-shaking, you can decrease the sensitivity and/or increase the shaking time. As for the endless Astro Gemini bashing, if people don't like their products, fine, but I have no tolerance for the endless lies. Bugs and crashes are due to your video drivers (integrated video will be the worst, ATI may be better but is a total disaster, nVidia sucks but generally works the best). There is no malware on the Astro Gemini website or in any of their software. The screensaver manager isn't "huge bloatware", it's a handy utility, but I don't like the fact that it always wants to set itself up as the default manager.

#48, Kurios, in addition to the hotkeys, the setting for "Show magnified cursor" is under the Basic options tab for your glass profile.

Obviously, many posters never even looked at the tray icon's context-menu (right-click).

Thank you, GOTD, for this great program. After I waded through all the garbage comments, I finally decided I would try this. I've only tested it a little so far, but it's obviously going to help me a lot.

My 11-year-old system gave up the ghost recently, and I had to buy a Vista desktop, much to my dismay--especially after I started using it. It has a 19-inch monitor, which is wonderful compared to the old non-LCD monitor, but some websites I've visited recently had very small text. I forgot about using CTRL-+ and CTRL-- to resize the text (thanks to the many people who commented about that here).

Anyway as a family history (genealogy) researcher (for my own benefit), I have waded through many census sheets, draft cards, and Texas death certificates posted online and spent many difficult hours trying to decipher them enough to get the info I need. This is so much easier. I haven't tested it much yet, but I think this is going to be a keeper. Good, easy-to-use program.

Amateur genealogists will love this. Even for those who don't have trouble seeing, as I do now at my age, this would be a great tool for such research. Thanks, GOTD and Workers Collection.

When I tried to load Skype using the magnifying glass, my Comodo firewall popped up the following "Security Consideration" message:-

C:\Program Files\MagniGlassPro\MagniGlassPro.exe has loaded MGPro15h.dll into Skype.exe using a global hook which could be used by keyloggers to steal private information.

Is this MGPro15h.dll hooking a security threat?

'Bandwidth Limit Exceeded'

Quite irritating to get this message when I wanted to check out their web site.

Actually - I just found a very good application for this software - we do a lot of software documentation with "pull shots" - magnified areas of the screen that used to take half a dozen steps to produce. Now... I can snag those screenshots all at once - the interface is flexible enough that the magnified area can be set up 'just so' to avoid multiple snags and assembling the final shot in layers. So... for free, it's great. For $25 it would pay for itself on the third snag since we charge roughly $35 each to create these graphics. And BTW - the built-in features of XP and Vista don't cut it for this appliation... those are strictly for accessiblity and are very simplistic by comparison.

Dear Morons.
Once again, your cumulative lack of intelligence astounds. Yes, this is a simple one-trick pony... but there are many circumstances where it is a useful one-trick pony. Just because YOU are too stupid/ignorant and closed-minded to ascertain a use for the software doesn't mean there isn't one. Is this the greatest GOTD...? Probably not. But comments like "why would anyone pay $XYZ" are completely illogical because in fact you are NOT paying anything for the software. Is it worth 25 bucks? Well... if you're transcribing scanned documents for the Library of Congress it might be worth $25 million to you. And if it's in fact not even worth $0 to you... simply do not download or install it. Pretty simple. No need to comment further, just go back to your hovels and wait for tomorrow's freebie.

The program installed easily under Vista Ultimate. Doesn't seem to conflict with normal operation.

There are a ton of features that exceed Vista's magnifier. Being able to place the magnifier on another screen is nice. Being able to pop up using mouse moves, and being able to configure easily using command mode is nice.

I don't particularly like that running under Vista it toggles the Aero interface, but to the credit of the programmers, it does this cleanly (and the behavior is fully and completely explained in the configuration dialog.) I suggest that the programmers work around this in a future release, but since I only use the magnifier rarely (a few times a day), this is more of an annoyance than a show stopper. The fact that is does work and provides a good feature set gets this program a thumbs up from me.

* Recommended upgrade from Vista's magnifier - Yes.
* Pay $25 for it? If your eyes need it, $25 is probably worth it.
* Click on the tour to see how it works.

Thanks GOATD!

Renegade! Are you & Ken Kelly family? It would seem so because your both wise azzes!
It wouldn't hurt you to tell those that don't know how to use the forums, how instead of running your mouth? If you can't, keep quiet you insulting idiot!

The 1.5 version on Vista - I've been using it since it was given away because just before this was given away I had several vitreous hemorages in my eye - it pretty much saved my job at the time (without it I couldn't see the screen.) The built in magnifiers for XP and Vista don't move with the cursor and can't be adjusted. The only other "free" magnifier that is even remotely useful is the one that comes with Intellipoint 6.2.

I'll be updating my version and grateful for it.

Using XP Pro, downloaded with no problem.
If you have a need for this type of thing, this freebie is the best one I have ever tried. Lots of extras, very easy to access and use.

I've been using Magnifying Glass Pro 1.4 fairly often and it's very nice to keep me from straining my eyes. I find it more convenient than the Windows XP tool. I really like how I could control the zoom level, the size of the magnifying window, and how it can follow the mouse.

Installed fine & worked as claimed on my XP Pro system. I just found it more bothersome then helpful. Programs uninstalled after 20 minutes of tinkering!
I find the built in magnifying feature in botyh XP & Vista more suited to my needs.

Free: ZoomIt


You can draw on the screen as well!

Even though I am not a newbie to computers, I am to some of these programs! So THANKS GAOTD for having a forum like this where I can learn what to use or not and how to properly make an informed decision!
There are so many free programs out there that can/have/will crash a system that taking a chance and downloading one isn't worth it. But by reading other peoples perceptions on programs offered, I can reasonably make a somewhat intelligent informed decision.
Oh and even though I am here every day and don't always comment, I will say LOVE THOSE GAME giveaways. Especially the older ones not the shoot up ones!:)

This nagnifier I find is very helpful, actually, much better than tha windows' built-in magnifier, im my opinion. The glass itself is very customizable, and has many more features that I know I'll be using. BTW, I'm visually impaired. Also, I like how it "smoothes" the font, which comes in handy for my arabic lessons. I've tried some freeware magnifiers only to have the font "choppy", making the charactors virtually impossible for me to read. Thank you so much, GOATD!

Installed on Window Home Premium (I've had Aero disabled anyway due to my vision problems.) Ran as normal, not as administrator, works fine - I'm actually using the text carot mode now :)

To Whomever This May Concern:

This web site has forums and I know how to use them, do you?

People keep saying Windows already has one built in.SO WHAT!!
Windows can also burn cds,has a backup utility,has a printscreen key to take screenshots,and many other built in utilities.
But there are better programs out there.

This magnifier seems to be more convenient to use than Window's magnifer.

Downloaded, installed, and registered smoothly and perfectly on both my XP and Vista machines.

I see one really great use for this: Reading the very very fine print that you find in obscure places on advertising for products, services, or things that look like great deals but also look too good to be true. The "catch" in such things that reveal them to be fake deals or something other than what the prominent print in ads make them appear to be, is usually buried in that print that has been intentionally made too fine for most ppl to read it!

Do you people using Vista even bother to read other comments before stumbling blindly into a download?
I do & thanks for the heads up! I hate any app that messes with my settings so I won't be downloading this. Even @ 56 years of age I can see good enough not to need a magnifier.
I won't be downloading it on my XP system either but as usual, thanks for the offer.
It never ceases to amaze me what people will do just because somethings free for a day! Just because somethings free doesn't make it good or right for everybody. What ever happened to the saying, "use at your own risk"?
As much as i appreciate the 5 or 6 good apps I got here, every one won't be tried, at least by me!

No one as yet has addressed my concern about resourse useage.

As I am using a notebook, having another program sitting in the taskbar is just draining resourses EVEN when not in use. I guess most users here are using desktops which can take more punishment than a notebook !!

Whilst many comments are useful and valid, I am sticking with windows Ctrl + & - which is all I need and yes, my eyes are nothing like they used to be. Using the windows Ctrl feature is perfect for average users like myself and without all the bells and whistles that most people will not use in the long run with this software.

I agree with other posters that this is a step above the previous giveaway called Magic Lens Max which I only used for a couple of days and not again due to it being system hungry, the same as Magnifying Glass Pro.

Thanks for the offer.

CompNetTeach 66
Thanks for 'Heads Up' on CTRL Z
I had forgotten about it being 'undo' in some apps.
I had actually evolved away from my suggestion, as it was still a bit of an effort to get to those keys.

I have settled on Ctrl and 'Left Windows Key', which does not appear to cause complications, as long as you press CTRL first.

And I may end up using Kurios' suggestion of Ctrl Space.
Time will tell which feels more natural.

Rob

This program installed with no problem. Here are my preliminary thoughts:

Pros: Extremely versatile and configurable.
Zoom factor adjustable from 0.7 to 16
Can easily switch configurations
Can be activated by mouse gestures (this is great!
Magnified image can be copied to clipboard
Well written help file

Cons: None so far, except
It takes a little time to get used to it. But look at how versatile it is!
Personally, I think the price is rather high. There are many freeware programs available, but then none are as good as this.

Being blind in one eye and not being able to see out of the other, I have evaluated over 25 screen magnifiers. This one is one of the best, if not the best!

The others that I like are DesktopZoom, Dragnifier, JansMagnifier, Lens202, RavenBalackMagnify, Solwayssmag10, VirtualMagnifier, Zoomer, ZoomIn, and Zzoom. They are all free.

My system is XP Pro SP3, 1 gig memory, 1.8 Mhz.

Thanks to Workers Collection and GAOTD for making this program available!

I use this program every single day, and willingly purchased a license for it too some time back. Happily. I am also visually impaired, and if you need this program, it is truly awesome. I have tried the built in windows magnifier, as well as other 3rd party magnifiers, but was ecstatic when I finally found Magnifier Glass Pro. If you need to use magnification CONSTANTLY on your PC, you will quickly realize that not all magnification solutions are created equal. The fact that the built in windows magnifier keeps getting cited, tells me that most of you have never spent any good amount of time trying to use it constantly. If it is your preference for that style, then yes it works. Magnifier Glass Pro was obviously crafted with those of us who have to use these types of tools on a constant basis in mind. Not only can the glass be customized to your full liking, but different configurations can be saved as profiles--and what's more, you can assign target programs where the glass will automatically change to the profile you desire for that specific program Basically you can have it auto switch to a longer glass with less magnification for text entry and then a smaller glass with more magnification when switching to say a graphics editing software. The feature I love though? This one sets MGP totally apart from the rest: It can be setup so that the magnifier glass will automatically begin to follow the cursor whenever you start typing. Incredible, I'm sure most of you have never thought about this unless you yourself needed to use magnification in your computing day on a constant basis too. When I first found MGP, this feature alone changed my world: It meant that I could once again stare at the screen while typing, rather than staring at the keyboard as I had become accustomed to ever since I had my vision loss. Another great feature? The mouse shaker, by simply shaking your mouse you can dismiss or summon the glass pointer, easy, and quick. Sometimes a glass gets in the way when you need to see the big picture. With most other software it is a hassle to turn it on and off, either requiring you enter a hotkey on the keyboard or finding the system tray icon to do x number of clicks through. Not so with MGP, just shake your mouse.

If you have never ever needed magnification software, then no this is not for you. But if you need magnification even just once in a while, this program is totally worth it. Especially when free, but it is so totally worth it and important to me, that even seeing it here today for free doesn't make me regret having purchased a paid license. If you need this kind of software do yourself a huge favor, and check this one out.

My Microsoft mouse has a magnifying button, but it is not very responsive. I like the freeware OneLoupe, which is a portable app:

http://www.download3k.com/Desktop-Enhancements/Other-enhancements/Download-OneLoupe.html

Like most clever little utilities, I usually forget about it except when reminded by something, such as this giveaway. I always keep a magnifying glass by the computer, which is much more useful than trying to remember where I stowed that utility I use once in a blue moon. A magnifying glass works on small print also.

Hi there,

I read the comments expressed here. I always do, to help me decide if it is worth downloading. Don't worry, I can think for myself. But other people's opinions can be very helpful, otherwise forums wouldn't exist and you wouldn't be reading this.

It is true that my operating system has this tool. Personally, I never liked working with it. I found it to be more annoying than helpful. So I decided to try today's giveaway.

Finally, I found what I always hoped for: A magnifying glass with a big viewbox,clear image and high details. For me, this one is a keeper.

Keep on smiling and have a nice day!

This app would'nt even start, Spybot S&D reported the program wanting to phone home (as did another spyware program I have installed)

I've never trusted programs that carry out this behaviour, When they don't run on stopping them there's usually a hidden agenda!

My plasma TV has a Monitor input so if I NEED to see something larger, I'll switch to my laptop connected to the TV...A lot safer than a phone home program.

I wasn't going to install this due to all the negative comments, but since I sometimes have a hard time reading text, and sometimes just want certain areas of text highlighted, thought I'd try it.

It is a VERY NICE program. Maybe all the negative commenters are young pups with young eyes, but these old eyes are REALLY ENJOYING the magnifier. :)

Oh hey! I like this! There have been a million times when I needed something like this. I agree with the person who talked about the ability to click with it. That is invaluable. This is not a toy. It's darned useful for those times when you really need to look a little closer.

Nice offering GAOTD!

Thanks to the users who left useful comments, instead of just complaining...

Yes, Windows has a magnifier built-in, with limited features - this is much more useful.

Yes, you can use Ctrl/+/- to magnify your whole screen, which makes small text instantly readable.

This program has a number of features that would be useful for working with graphics, for example - the ability to rotate the magnified image - try to do THAT with the Windows magnifier!

This is a professional's tool, a versatile and customizable program that's well worth a try for ANYONE who has need of such a tool.

I'm with those folks who wish the complainers would actually LOOK at the features and maybe even TRY the programs before voicing their useless opinions, because the whole purpose of the GAOTD freebies is to get useful feedback to programmers when they introduce people to their products by giving them away, so your offhand comments add nothing to them or this site unless you try the programs.

And I give MGP 1.7 a resounding thumbs up, it's head and shoulders above the tinkertoy version built in to Windows.