G
Guest
Dear Sirs,
I upgraded to Windows XP a few months ago, and have found several problems.
I do not have Pinball installed on my laptop. Yet, there is an EMPTY
sub-folder under the Windows NT
folder named Pinball that is empty. Also, I deliberately did not install
FrontPage on my laptop as I
no longer need it. Also there was a Xerox program called TextBridge which I
did not install since do
not have my scanner connected to the laptop. Out of nowhere one day a folder
for “microsoft
frontpage†with an EMPTY sub-folder called “binâ€, and another folder called
“xerox†with an EMPTY
sub-folder called “nwwia†appeared. Windows will not allow me to remove
these folders claiming that
another (unknown or unidentified) application is using them. What
application uses folders for
programs that do not exist that are empty?? This is stupid. In fact, how can
they work properly? If
they work properly with the empty folders, why do they need to install them
at all? Bill Gates
actually pays people to write these programs this way?
Disk Cleanup shows that there is 32 M of temporary WebClient/Publisher files
that may be deleted.
But it never does. If they cannot be deleted why even bother putting them on
the list? If they can
be safely deleted, why isn’t Disk Cleanup deleting them?
Not only do I still have keys for programs and old companies whose programs
have been un-installed
for years, but I have keys for programs that I have never owned! For
instance, I have a registry
entry for Netscape. I have never owned Netscape. I don’t even have any
inclination in ever getting
it. But there, under Software is the key for Netscape. Microsoft also seems
bent on registering
Office products even when I have never owned them. (In fact Windows keeps
installing INI files for
them using up MY disk space with YOUR junk.) This isn’t peculiar to XP, it
is an on-going issue with
Windows since at least Win95.
I upgraded to Windows Installer 3.1 and it still tried to “repair†Norton
AntiVirus. Norton
AntiVirus of course, will not allow it and advises to re-install NAV. Either
NAV will have to allow
Windows Installer to do it’s thing or Windows Installer needs to be informed
that it is to butt out.
Although, the problem might be just with Windows Installer. I have another
problem with Windows
Installer trying to configure Picture It! Publisher whenever I start a
particular, unrelated utility
program. PIP isn’t even installed!! This problem might be related to Windows
Installer trying to
install/configure NAV at logon. After all, it still hasn’t accomplished it’s
task and NAV seems to
be working just fine. I have other issues with Works, but I will save that
for last.
So far Pop-Up Stopper is the only application that allows the user to add
web sites that slip thru
the firewall to the block list. Windows Firewall/Internet Explorer only
allows the user to add to
the list of exceptions.
I tried to play a music file (WMA format) on my computer. MediaPlayer is the
default for the WMA
files. MediaPlayer attempted to log online and when the attempt failed (I
have a laptop computer and
must go to a hot spot on my days off to go online) it refused to play my
song. I tried to use WinAmp
and the same thing happened. This is ridiculous. What’s the big idea? Even
if I could afford it and
had the necessary hardware, I still don’t want to be on the internet 24/7. I
REALLY don’t care that
other people do.
For some reason, the task bar groups keep getting out of order from one
session to another. Almost
every time that I log in I have to rearrange the task groups (quick launch,
desktop, language bar
and a custom taskbar called “foldersâ€) and often have to eliminate one or
more copies of “_the_
language barâ€. The problem is compounded by the section of the taskbar that
shows the windows that
are open being in the wrong place. Worse, sometimes the open windows appear
twice on the taskbar—and
there is no way to get rid of the extra section except to log out and hope
it doesn’t show up when I
log back in again. This never happened with Windows ME.
One more thing, I have tried scheduling Defrag Disk to run at start up
(which to me means after
reboot and before logging on) with Task Manager. This would be the perfect
time to defrag the hard
drive before any programs begin to run. It fails to start at all. There is
no way to schedule to
start at reboot. What gives?
Now, I have used Works for years. I prefer the database to Access and since
the spreadsheet is
pretty much the same as Excel or Lotus, the only part of Works I don't use
is the word processor.
Instead, I use Word. I just wish Word would install without having to be
under Office. Why couldn’t
it be installed under Works Suite as an alternative for the version of Word
that comes with Works.
And when you get Works Suite, why couldn’t you have Word REPLACE the word
processor as an option?
One last thing about Works Suite. Actually, Microsoft isn’t the only company
that does this,
generally. This is an annoyance with most of the large corporations and many
small-time programmers
who copy them. The difference with Works Suite is that it virtually insists
that you install it
under the default folder names, and gives the user all kinds of unnecessary
problems when they
don’t. I do not see where it is necessary to install a program under an
umbrella folder for the
company (e.g., Serif/PhotoPlus, or SimEnhancer/CMX Validator and
SimEnhancer/NPC MakeOver Kit),
where the company’s name should be prefixed to the program (Microsoft Works,
Microsoft Money,
Microsoft Picture It! Publisher, Windows MediaPlayer, etc.), separate
folders for each company (for
instance, outside of the folder for the game itself, Maxis’ The Sims
installs a separate folder
“Electronic Arts†and Norton’s SystemWorks installs a Symentec folder under
Program Files AND Common
Files plus installs the same DLL in Program Files/Symantec AND
Windows/System32), and the specific
version number/date (Microsoft Works Suite 2000).
I know some people like to organize their programs so that programs from the
same company are in the
same folder or are listed together in Program Files, or like to have all of
the different versions
of the same program on the same drive, but I don’t. I like to keep my folder
names short. I do not
like unnecessary folders. And I replace old versions with new versions and
just upgrade the same
folder (therefore the version number at the end is irrelevant). All of these
extra folders are just
so much clutter. Believe it or not, there are some people who just cannot
afford to run out and get
more memory, a more advanced computer, or a larger hard drive. Some of us
only make $6.25 an hour/30
hours a week and are lucky (i.e.; supposed to be greatful) to have that. We
need software that is
efficient, not bloated with corporate-ego-stroking fluff.
Fortunately most mid-sized software companies have been giving people the
option to install the
applications using the folder names the customer wants to use. The programs
work just fine, proving
that it isn’t necessary for these redundant/extraneous folders and files.
(Why have Program
Files/Windows NT/WordPad.EXE AND Windows/WordPad.EXE? Why have RegEdit AND
RegEdit32? Ok,
MediaPlayer.EXE in Windows is needed to play FLI animation files, but I wish
there was a utility to
convert FLI to AVI built into the current version of MediaPlayer. Then
again, I wish there was a way
for IE to automatically convert PDF files to HTML so that I wouldn’t need
Acrobat Reader, or
MediaPlayer or WinAmp to convert RealMedia or QuickTime files so that I
wouldn’t need RealPlayer or
QuickTime.)
Rod Lockwood
http://rod_lockwood.tripod.com
Support your local and online small businesses.
I upgraded to Windows XP a few months ago, and have found several problems.
I do not have Pinball installed on my laptop. Yet, there is an EMPTY
sub-folder under the Windows NT
folder named Pinball that is empty. Also, I deliberately did not install
FrontPage on my laptop as I
no longer need it. Also there was a Xerox program called TextBridge which I
did not install since do
not have my scanner connected to the laptop. Out of nowhere one day a folder
for “microsoft
frontpage†with an EMPTY sub-folder called “binâ€, and another folder called
“xerox†with an EMPTY
sub-folder called “nwwia†appeared. Windows will not allow me to remove
these folders claiming that
another (unknown or unidentified) application is using them. What
application uses folders for
programs that do not exist that are empty?? This is stupid. In fact, how can
they work properly? If
they work properly with the empty folders, why do they need to install them
at all? Bill Gates
actually pays people to write these programs this way?
Disk Cleanup shows that there is 32 M of temporary WebClient/Publisher files
that may be deleted.
But it never does. If they cannot be deleted why even bother putting them on
the list? If they can
be safely deleted, why isn’t Disk Cleanup deleting them?
Not only do I still have keys for programs and old companies whose programs
have been un-installed
for years, but I have keys for programs that I have never owned! For
instance, I have a registry
entry for Netscape. I have never owned Netscape. I don’t even have any
inclination in ever getting
it. But there, under Software is the key for Netscape. Microsoft also seems
bent on registering
Office products even when I have never owned them. (In fact Windows keeps
installing INI files for
them using up MY disk space with YOUR junk.) This isn’t peculiar to XP, it
is an on-going issue with
Windows since at least Win95.
I upgraded to Windows Installer 3.1 and it still tried to “repair†Norton
AntiVirus. Norton
AntiVirus of course, will not allow it and advises to re-install NAV. Either
NAV will have to allow
Windows Installer to do it’s thing or Windows Installer needs to be informed
that it is to butt out.
Although, the problem might be just with Windows Installer. I have another
problem with Windows
Installer trying to configure Picture It! Publisher whenever I start a
particular, unrelated utility
program. PIP isn’t even installed!! This problem might be related to Windows
Installer trying to
install/configure NAV at logon. After all, it still hasn’t accomplished it’s
task and NAV seems to
be working just fine. I have other issues with Works, but I will save that
for last.
So far Pop-Up Stopper is the only application that allows the user to add
web sites that slip thru
the firewall to the block list. Windows Firewall/Internet Explorer only
allows the user to add to
the list of exceptions.
I tried to play a music file (WMA format) on my computer. MediaPlayer is the
default for the WMA
files. MediaPlayer attempted to log online and when the attempt failed (I
have a laptop computer and
must go to a hot spot on my days off to go online) it refused to play my
song. I tried to use WinAmp
and the same thing happened. This is ridiculous. What’s the big idea? Even
if I could afford it and
had the necessary hardware, I still don’t want to be on the internet 24/7. I
REALLY don’t care that
other people do.
For some reason, the task bar groups keep getting out of order from one
session to another. Almost
every time that I log in I have to rearrange the task groups (quick launch,
desktop, language bar
and a custom taskbar called “foldersâ€) and often have to eliminate one or
more copies of “_the_
language barâ€. The problem is compounded by the section of the taskbar that
shows the windows that
are open being in the wrong place. Worse, sometimes the open windows appear
twice on the taskbar—and
there is no way to get rid of the extra section except to log out and hope
it doesn’t show up when I
log back in again. This never happened with Windows ME.
One more thing, I have tried scheduling Defrag Disk to run at start up
(which to me means after
reboot and before logging on) with Task Manager. This would be the perfect
time to defrag the hard
drive before any programs begin to run. It fails to start at all. There is
no way to schedule to
start at reboot. What gives?
Now, I have used Works for years. I prefer the database to Access and since
the spreadsheet is
pretty much the same as Excel or Lotus, the only part of Works I don't use
is the word processor.
Instead, I use Word. I just wish Word would install without having to be
under Office. Why couldn’t
it be installed under Works Suite as an alternative for the version of Word
that comes with Works.
And when you get Works Suite, why couldn’t you have Word REPLACE the word
processor as an option?
One last thing about Works Suite. Actually, Microsoft isn’t the only company
that does this,
generally. This is an annoyance with most of the large corporations and many
small-time programmers
who copy them. The difference with Works Suite is that it virtually insists
that you install it
under the default folder names, and gives the user all kinds of unnecessary
problems when they
don’t. I do not see where it is necessary to install a program under an
umbrella folder for the
company (e.g., Serif/PhotoPlus, or SimEnhancer/CMX Validator and
SimEnhancer/NPC MakeOver Kit),
where the company’s name should be prefixed to the program (Microsoft Works,
Microsoft Money,
Microsoft Picture It! Publisher, Windows MediaPlayer, etc.), separate
folders for each company (for
instance, outside of the folder for the game itself, Maxis’ The Sims
installs a separate folder
“Electronic Arts†and Norton’s SystemWorks installs a Symentec folder under
Program Files AND Common
Files plus installs the same DLL in Program Files/Symantec AND
Windows/System32), and the specific
version number/date (Microsoft Works Suite 2000).
I know some people like to organize their programs so that programs from the
same company are in the
same folder or are listed together in Program Files, or like to have all of
the different versions
of the same program on the same drive, but I don’t. I like to keep my folder
names short. I do not
like unnecessary folders. And I replace old versions with new versions and
just upgrade the same
folder (therefore the version number at the end is irrelevant). All of these
extra folders are just
so much clutter. Believe it or not, there are some people who just cannot
afford to run out and get
more memory, a more advanced computer, or a larger hard drive. Some of us
only make $6.25 an hour/30
hours a week and are lucky (i.e.; supposed to be greatful) to have that. We
need software that is
efficient, not bloated with corporate-ego-stroking fluff.
Fortunately most mid-sized software companies have been giving people the
option to install the
applications using the folder names the customer wants to use. The programs
work just fine, proving
that it isn’t necessary for these redundant/extraneous folders and files.
(Why have Program
Files/Windows NT/WordPad.EXE AND Windows/WordPad.EXE? Why have RegEdit AND
RegEdit32? Ok,
MediaPlayer.EXE in Windows is needed to play FLI animation files, but I wish
there was a utility to
convert FLI to AVI built into the current version of MediaPlayer. Then
again, I wish there was a way
for IE to automatically convert PDF files to HTML so that I wouldn’t need
Acrobat Reader, or
MediaPlayer or WinAmp to convert RealMedia or QuickTime files so that I
wouldn’t need RealPlayer or
QuickTime.)
Rod Lockwood
http://rod_lockwood.tripod.com
Support your local and online small businesses.