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November 05, 2009
Windows 7 - Starting Clean
Along in our way to re-discovering our PCs with Windows 7, we're having some good times, some bad times.
Getting over the Bad Times (I)
Whether it's another version of Windows or a completely different operating system, one's preparedness to embrace the new comes easier if one does not have lots of baggage. What sort of baggage?
Many veteran Windows XP users started their personal involvement with the internet using desktop email and POP3 accounts. These were all the rage, it was sooo cool to be "on email". Evnetually, the Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail web clients came into being - that liberated people from worrying about their local email storage. And then IMAP4 for home use and Outlook - Exchange Server for corporates. All these subsequent incarnations of mailstores freed us from worrying about our local mailstores. But, if you're stuck on email desktop clients like Thunderbird, connected to POP3 servers and local address books, aah, you've got to be careful with your baggage.
As long as your current machine was healthy and you ran your email without issues, you were fine. But when you move to a different machine, a new one, or a new install of Windows, by gee, where's your mailstore? Are you really sure you've got the right files, backed up? Really. Well the crunch comes when you try to re-constitute said dessicated mailstore back to your new platform. Aren't you itching for the "it went alright experience?" Hmmm
On with the Good Times (I)
The Start Menu
I'll say it before, I'll say it again. It is sooo nice to click on the Start Menu, and type. Type what? Oh, nothing cerebral. Just "dis" for Control Panel > Display. "dev" for Control Panel > Devices and Printers, "ca" for calculator. You know, just act dumb and type like you can't type.
The Control Panel
You know, how much can they stuff up Control Panel? Are they gonna Categorise icons or hide some beneath others or move them around? Actually, Yes and No. The default Control Panel display is by Category - makes sense to make things more verbose and hint at what you could control. If you get the irrits or the itch to go back to classic, simply View By: Large Icons. But, more fun ahead. Just type "de" in the search box on the top right of Control Panel and you get every item that you might want to control that has "de" in it's phrasing. Like "Devices and Printers", "Default Programs", "Delete Cookies" - all in categorised, colourful vertical arrangement.
Windows Explorer
If you think typing a couple of letters is now becoming real fun, just double click on any instance of those yellow icons to launch Windows Explorer, navigate to a folder that is chock full documents and type a few letters in the search box on the top right of the window. You'll soon see a list of matching filenames.
Good Journey. Till next....
Posted by Anandasim at November 5, 2009 07:21 PM
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