zaphirer Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Hey everyone... I'm an old school Win2ker, and a buddy just got a free *legit* copy of WinXP... I've tried WinXP on our family laptop, and although it helps to be current with all the new application, the id***-prooof design drove me absolutely insane (especially that stupid control panel!) Any tips, apps, extensions, themes, etc. to help me get used to the not-so-new world of WinXP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krit86lr Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Maybe learn to love the control panel, and hate the wizards?!? What were you using before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokoike Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Hey everyone... I'm an old school Win2ker, and a buddy just got a free *legit* copy of WinXP... I've tried WinXP on our family laptop, and although it helps to be current with all the new application, the id***-prooof design drove me absolutely insane (especially that stupid control panel!) Any tips, apps, extensions, themes, etc. to help me get used to the not-so-new world of WinXP? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Control Panel, like most other aspects of WinXP, can be set back to the Classic view if you like that better (I know I do!). Open Control Panel and look to the left side of the window in the Control Panel box. There should be a button that says 'Switch to Classic View'. You can also get rid of the smooth graphics and return to the Win2k style (although I do like the XP style better). Go to Control Panel > Display, click the Appearance tab, and select 'Windows Classic style' from the 'Windows and buttons:' combobox. Play around with XP; you will probably learn to like it a little better than Win2k (although it isn't any faster, like MS says it is ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capman Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 I'm an old school Win2ker <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What were you using before? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh krit, you seem to be slipping. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted March 2, 2006 Administrator Share Posted March 2, 2006 Windows XP is highly customizable, tweakable and more. I admit, I like how you can change and control what services are running (Even though you can do that on 2k and NT), just NEVER disable the Error Reporting service. Another nice aspect is how you can change the themes to anything. The memory management is excellent and everything just works like it should. Heck, I haven't formatted this computer in over a year and it still runs like new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krit86lr Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 I'm an old school Win2ker <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What were you using before? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh krit, you seem to be slipping. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's the crack. It get's to me sometimes. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphirer Posted March 3, 2006 Author Share Posted March 3, 2006 It's the crack. It get's to me sometimes. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> :eyeroll: Sometimes :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krit86lr Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 It's the crack. It get's to me sometimes. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> :eyeroll: Sometimes <{POST_SNAPBACK}> very funny <sarcasm> :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokoike Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 ...just NEVER disable the Error Reporting service... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, that's more of a personal preference than anything. Disabling that service won't hurt anything on your computer (although that means MS will receive less reports which could potentially lead to less patches in the future). It will free up some CPU and RAM, so turning it off can have potential benefits and detriments. That service could be lickened to the customer satisfaction forms which come with hardware; you can take a half hour or so to fill it out, and potentially help the manufacturer, or you can choose to not fill it out, and spend that time doing something else. It totally depends on what your priorities are. Also, theoretically, if you didn't have an Internet or network connection on that particular computer, the Error Reporting service would do both you and Microsoft absolutely no good at all. The same goes with a lot of other services, such as Windows Time. Just make sure you don't mess around with services until you are comfortable with what they do. Many are necessary for your computer to function. Another nice aspect is how you can change the themes to anything. The memory management is excellent and everything just works like it should. Heck, I haven't formatted this computer in over a year and it still runs like new. I agree. While I do have my quibbles with XP, no one can doubt that it is far more stable and regenerative than any other OS made by MS (so far). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted March 3, 2006 Administrator Share Posted March 3, 2006 Well, that's more of a personal preference than anything. Disabling that service won't hurt anything on your computer (although that means MS will receive less reports which could potentially lead to less patches in the future). It will free up some CPU and RAM, so turning it off can have potential benefits and detriments. You should NEVER turn that service off. Error reporting is a good thing. Quite often when you submit an error report you can download a fix for your very problem. While you may think that submitting an error report is no good, you should realize it takes a matter of seconds to submit. Should Microsoft have a solution a webpage will open with links to a solution. Be it an official Hotfix for the Microsoft product or a link to the support website of the product that you have submitted the report for. If you wish to subject your machine to problems, then by all means disable Error Reporting. I do not recommend disabling the service because having the service on has far more benefits than negative effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokoike Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 You should NEVER turn that service off. Error reporting is a good thing.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> I never said it wasn't a good thing, but to some users, it mostly just acts like a nuisance and bogs you down. There are all sorts of ways you can support MS, such as sending them donations or taking those surveys that pop up on their website, and there is a possibility that doing these things will improve your computing experience. But, for many users (myself included) having the service turned off gives me more utility than having it on. The user has the ability and the right to choose in which ways he wants to support Microsoft. And if he chooses to support MS, and MS is able to support him back, that is certainly a benefit. That doesn't mean that your computer will curl up and die if you turn off that, or any other unnecessary service. And once again, if you don't have Internet, then that service should without a doubt be turned off, as it can do you absolutely no good at all. Quite often when you submit an error report you can download a fix for your very problem. While you may think that submitting an error report is no good, you should realize it takes a matter of seconds to submit. Should Microsoft have a solution a webpage will open with links to a solution. Be it an official Hotfix for the Microsoft product or a link to the support website of the product that you have submitted the report for. While I personally have never had MS offer me fixes or give me links to them, I have heard that that does occur sometimes, which I believe is very useful. But for me, it still isn't terribly useful, as when I do run into errors (which is rarely, since I take good care of my notebook), I am able to remedy them in a short period of time. I am better off leaving off services which do next to nothing for me. If you wish to subject your machine to problems, then by all means disable Error Reporting. I do not recommend disabling the service because having the service on has far more benefits than negative effects. Hardly! I have yet to subject my machine to problems. I also wouldn't recommend disabling the service for new users, like zaphirer, but for myself, it is beneficial to leave it off. I also have several other services off, such as Fast User Switching and Secondary Logon, because I am the only one who uses this computer. That isn't to say that those services are unnecessary either, but to me, they do little or no good, and simply waste resources. Once again, I agree that no one should mess around with services unless they know what they are doing and are positive that it won't compromise their system. When it comes to computers, you can never be too cautious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.