OT: New computer

[Java Jive]

A line is a correct description. In terms of the relevant basic units, options, that is exactly what it is, a vertical line of options.

Yes, but unfortunately this doesn't seem to be possible from Vista onwards.

But then other programs that you may install later might assume the old name.

You seem to be talking about Libraries now, which is another 'feature' forced upon us in the belief that it will do us good. I forgot those when compiling my list above, so ...

??? How can I get rid of the Libraries from Explorer

... also ...

??? How can I get all users to have the same Network Neighbourhood, and have it display in Explorer?

... and ...

??? How can I force searches of the C: drive always to include the Program Files and System folders?

But to return to the Libraries ...

I'm not sure that you're right about that. The Libraries on my W7 laptop don't show any Shared variants at all, so there doesn't appear to be any need to distinguish them.

[soup]

Mmm my library folders (used the term folders before my bad) do have My and public Folders within them, sure I didn't change what is included from a default install but folders CAN be added. Right click the LF and click "add folder" then follow onscreen instructions

I don't particularly want things the way the spotty Herbert writing the code wants to do things but I find most O/Ses can be customised to suit. And that it takes less time to find out how to do something and do it than continually whinge that a piece of software written for millions doesn't suit one person's particular way of working

[Peter Crosland]

Windows 7 is reasonably stable. I would not touch either of the suppliers you mention. CCL have served me very well for some years. Don't try and save absolutely the last penny as it is false economy.

[Java Jive]

I know all that, but the points still stand that:

- The word 'My' is redundant here as in most situations, just as the word 'Files' is redundant in 'Program Files'. What else are you going to put in a computer folder? Aardvarks?

- Libraries are a superfluous add-on piece of functionality that I don't need, yet cannot disable and prevent unnecessarily consuming PC resources. See below.

I've already spent hours trying to make Win 7 usable for me, and pretty much failed in the areas I've listed. This meant that it was easier and quicker to just demote the new laptop to be a media playing PC connected to my stereo, and continue to do actual work on this old XP one.

Here is an inert Task Manager readout for this XP machine:

alg.exe AvastSvc.exe AvastUI.exe csrss.exe explorer.exe firefox.exe inetinfo.exe lsass.exe MDM.EXE services.exe smss.exe spoolsv.exe svchost.exe x 7 System System Idle Process taskmgr.exe winlogon.exe wuauclt.exe

19 processes in all.

Here is a Task Manager readout for the W7 machine:

aticlxx.exe atisrxx.exe audiodg.exe AvastSvc.exe * 32 AvastUI.exe * 32 BleServicesCtrl.exe btplayerctrl.exe csrss.exe x 2 CxUtilSvc.exe * 32 DeliveryService.exe devmonsrv.exe * 32 dwm.exe ETDCtrl.exe ETDCtrlHelper.exe ETDGesture.exe explorer.exe HeciServer.exe IAStorDataMgrSvc.exe IAStorIcon.exe igfxpers.exe iusb3mon.exe Jhi_service.exe LMS.exe lsass.exe lsm.exe mediasrv.exe obexsrv.exe PDVDServ.exe quickset.exe rundll32.exe SearchFilterHost.exe SearchIndexer.exe SearchProtocolHost.exe services.exe SmartAudio3.exe smss.exe spoolsv.exe svchost.exe x 13 System System Idle Process taskhost.exe UNS.exe * 32 wininit.exe winlogon.exe WmiPrvSE.exe wmpnetwk.exe wuauclt.exe

47 processes in all.

So that's an extra 28 processes to do essentially the same job. Small wonder that, despite the much improved more modern hardware, the W7 machine doesn't appear actually to do anything more quickly!

[dennis]

blue tooth stuff not installed on your XP.

Some driver not installed on your XP system

Some Dell crapware.

More bluetooth stuff not installed on your XP

Driver stuff for the touch pad not installed on your XP

More driver stuff for the TPM module not installed on your XP

Do I detect a trend here?

You may not use the extra features that win7 has detected and installed drivers for but the win7 has a lot more functionality than the XP and that's why there are extra processes.

Go into services and turn some of them off. Win7 does more than XP and it does so by running software. If you don't need them you can turn them off.

Are they even the same machine or did you just not install the drivers for the hardware on the XP machine?

[soup]

Think of what the alternative would be "programs" however not ALL files in PF are .exe files they are required for a program but they are not the .exe of the file ie they are a program files (my version of events is bit of a stretch I know but no doubt someone could put it in better words).

Very little resources I would have thought after all Libraries don't actually exist as an entity they are just links to folders within your file structure .

For instance Libraries/my music is 'just' a link to C:/users//my music.

[Chris J Dixon]

The problem in Vista is that, even when you have set up a folder (and its sub-folders) as you want it, it only has capacity to remember an inadequate number of folders, so it reverts.

I have to admit that ratings are something that I like having.

Chris

[tony sayer]

Well I set this up when I had it some 3 years or so ago now. Just went to "personalise it" switched some things off and a few on, altered a few other attributes here and there and I just use it. It just works and does what I need of it thats the usual mail, news and writer, spreadsheets now supplied by Kingston software and very much better it is than the Open orifice and Libre office etc.

We use VLC for media replay, Foxit for PDF's CCleaner and Malware bytes and MSE.

We have around 30 other programs mainly to do with radio and broadcast engineering and electronics etc. I can find any prog in the left hand start bar or the lower toolbar quickly. I don't seem to have any problems in searching for files either zipped or un-zipped.

I really can't fault it, I have fast BB here, 30 meg at the moment can go faster still but all in fine. Its quick and responsive has a decent sound card and sizeable monitor. I've tried and used Linux and its OK but this is easier to use for what I do and what I need.

We have used over time 3.1 95, 98, WIN2K which was the best of that lot. ME which was similar to the medical condition of the same initials. Vister which was a mistake XP which was WIN2K but a bit better.

Overall I'd rate 7 was the best yet.

No experience of 8 but I doubt it'd do anything better..

[whisky-dave]

which you can't really do with Mac.

'free' in that it's free to use. One problem with Linux is that not all windows or Mac programs work on them. If yuo really need word for compatabiitl reasons then Linux is usuless because yuo can't run word on it.

Hopefully you can get the drives you need.

such as photoshop and microsoft apps

Not for most, as they are trained on windows too. Most Linux distros also have paid help available, there's no free help not that windows free help is of much use.

[The Natural Philosopher]

The joy of Linux is that I no longer have to care which is best. sheer bliss.

[Java Jive]

I've already turned a few things off, for example the themes service on XP, and I think W7. Generally, I'm more confident about turning things off in W2k/XP. In W7, I tend to find everything is so spaghettified that things just stop working.

No, of course they're not the same machine. As I've already said up thread, the XP machine is a Dell Latitude from the early 2000's (I think), while the W7 is a reasonably upmarket Dell Inspiron bought in December last year. All the drivers are installed for the Latitude, and with the exception of the PC Card slot, everything works.

[John Rumm]

If you need windows on a tablet at all that is...

[John Rumm]

Most of my systems are "evolving" platforms... they very rarely get "replaced" outright, but rather like Trigger's broom, have had three new shafts and 5 different brushes!

[Scott M]

There's a tranch of registry settings that specify that each of these folders should be displayed in a new and different way. Deleting them en-bloc resets it to be exactly as you want. I forget where they live (have to look it up every new Win7 install) but it's out there (sevenforums.com cover it IIRC)

Install FileLocator Lite.

The first fix cures that.

Scott

[meow2222]

[1] however

I usually reuse used HDDs, giving them the job of OS only, and use the shin y new disc for user data. HDD evolution is slow enough that this usually re sults in a useful performance gain in the main bottleneck of PCs, at zero c ost. It also makes it easier to change pc, you just plug the data hdd into the new one.

Its not always worth doing this, but usually is.

NT

[The Natural Philosopher]

new disc for user data. HDD evolution is slow enough that this usually results in a useful performance gain in the main bottleneck of PCs, at zero cost. It also makes it easier to change pc, you just plug the data hdd into the new one.

I usually junk any hard drive over 4-5 years old

[Java Jive]

Yes, that's the sort of thing that I do. I've also put them into video recorders.

Almost invariably worth doing, I would say.

I'd have to buy five new drives right now if I followed that policy, and it would be a waste of money. For one thing, the replacements would inevitably be much bigger than I need them to be. But that moot point aside ...

The drive on this PC, which I suspect is the oldest drive I have, though that honour is disputable with the satellite receiver, is split into a system partition and a data partition. Data on this PC is backed up nightly by DeltaCopy. The system drive is backed up by Ghost after any significant change or software installation, or just after a few months to save a lot of Windows updates should I need to restore. This is over and above XP's own restore policy.

The PC that is still doing the geo-conversion contains two old hard drives. It's system drive is one of two oldest SATA drive I have and its data drive the third oldest. Both are backed up regularly as above, and, apart from the SATA data cable and the extension power cable problems already mentioned, which are nothing to do with the drives themselves, they seem to be performing fine.

Thanks to those who mentioned latching SATA cables, I've ordered enough to go round, and we'll have to see if one can resurrect the other PC as well, of which I'm quite hopeful. It contains the other oldest SATA drive, ordered at the same time as the above. If, however, it should prove that the HD has actually become unreliable, it will have lasted almost exactly double what you suggest.

[Bob Eager]

I junk them if they come out with more than about 30,000-40,000 hours on them. Which is about the same since mine all run 24/7.

[John Rumm]

I had to retire a pair of newish (16 months or so) 2TB drives from a NAS recently, because they were Hitachi Green drives with the 8 second automatic park "feature". It meant that in NAS use the heads were being forever loaded and unload from the platters, and they are only supposed to be good for some 300K cycles. Both had reached 500 - 600K cycles in that time.

[meow2222]

hiny new disc for user data. HDD evolution is slow enough that this usually results in a useful performance gain in the main bottleneck of PCs, at zer o cost. It also makes it easier to change pc, you just plug the data hdd in to the new one.

I've had a wide range in service, especially in years past, some very old. I've not found that age equates with failure rate at all. So I dont worry a bout using old ones now. I just retired the oldest, a P3 with a 15G HDD, bu t have had newer discs die. Except for the odd bad line there seems to be n o knowing.

The worst things are usb hdds in plastic cases. They don't have a hope.

NT