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August 2010

Sat, 07/31/2010 - 11:00pm — JimDinkey

If you are in the market for a Windows PC right now, here are the main Operating System choices I see you having to consider:

  • Windows 7, the OS version currently being pushed by Microsoft. It’s new, and, therefore, still buggy. My usual recommendation applies here—If you can, wait for MS to release Service Pack 1 (SP1), and then wait a few more months. If it holds to the usual Microsoft pattern, I expect it will be about two years before the bugs are down to a level I can tolerate.
  •  Windows XP has been out for several years. It’s known and stable and at the Service Pack 3 stage. XP is my recommended choice, if you can find it. Also, if you can find it, expect to pay a premium price, currently about $180, to have this proven performer on your PC. Be aware that Microsoft will stop selling or supporting XP on new netbooks on Oct 22, 2010...
  •  Windows 8 is in the offing, still perhaps two years away from initial release for sale. The hot feature in Windows 8 is said to be 3D capability, which should make it desirable for gamers and movie fans. The 3D capability means that Windows 8 will likely require hardware that is different in some ways from that required by Windows 7 or XP.
 
Where you might get aced is when you have some sort of failure and you need to buy a new computer—not just replace a hard drive. You may have to accept whatever Operating System is currently being pushed, or you can pay an exorbitant fee for an XP license, if one is available.
 
Currently, about 40% of the PCs in industry are still on Windows 2000, and another 50% are on Windows XP. Industry, generally, does not perceive any merit to upgrading, as long as their computers are doing the job needed.
 
So, What do you do?
 
Ultimately, your Operating System decision will be governed by some or all of these conditions at the time you buy—
  • Your personal style of pc usage (conservative versus bleeding-edge)
  • Your perceived need(s).
  • Product specifications.
  • Product availability.
  • Cost—both $$ and time.
 
If you’re not a bleeding-edge PC user, and you don’t feel a need for 3D capability—but are using your PC as a basic tool for internet access, email, web surfing, spreadsheet calculations, simple editing of text and graphics, etc.:
  • A new computer you buy today will probably come with Windows 7 as its OS.
  • If you can still find a PC with Windows XP, I recommend getting that one.
  • If you get a Windows 7 machine, you may want to consider spending the extras bucks to get Windows XP installed on it, so you can enjoy XP’s relative reliability and not have to be part of Microsoft’s unpaid QA group. In this situation, you might want to consider virtualization as the way to run XP.
 
If you are a bleeding-edge PC-user, your consideration is: Should I take a chance and get a Windows 7 computer whose hardware has 3D capability, hoping that some part of Windows 7 might accept some of what’s predicted/expected for Windows 8.
 
I think that some third party should be able to beat Microsoft by producing a good 3D product for a Windows 7 load on hardware that emulates the Windows 8’s requirements. It will be interesting to see whether or not the prediction comes to pass.
 
Dealing With Your Data
 
I hope your computer’s entire data are backed up in a way that lets you move your data to a new computer or to a new HDD in your current computer.
 
Most computers that need reloading are victims of malware or of software gone bad – often because the owner did not realize how to maintain the computer or how to run corrective routines in a timely manner.
 
Creating a backup strategy
 
The better your backup strategy the better will be your odds of successfully restoring your data (and system) with the least amount of hassle. A well-planned backup strategy provides:
  • the ability to restore a computer by restoring the entire “C” partition.
  • the ability to select files or directories to be restored when you’ve made a mistake.
  • Several iterations of backup data from which to chose. If you don’t know what is wrong and you need to just save your current data and then restore the computer system to one of several recent days, you need to set yourself up with a week’s worth of images to permit you to select a recent backup for a complete restore.
 
Implementing your backup strategy
 
  1. Create a procedure (perhaps involving Acronis True Image) to make a backup onto a different physical hard drive than the one you’re backing up from, such that after a week, every day of the week is represented. This will produce seven backups – one for each day of the week. 
  2. Set the backup program to overlay the corresponding backup with the newest one. For example, overlay the existing Tuesday backup with your new Tuesday backup.
  3. Have the backup occur automatically, at a time that will not interfere with your normal operation. Mine occurs at 1 am.—and in hundreds of operations, I have been aware of it only once.
  4. Set up another procedure (probably also using Acronis True Image) to create “strings” of backups, with one incremental backup each day. Start a new “string” of backups once a month – using a new date. in the file name.
This will create a series of “strings” that get progressively older; when the backup destination disk becomes nearly full, deleting one or more strings will provide space for later strings to be added as they are created. 
This method has worked well for me in an industrial environment wherein when there is a problem, and it is reported within a week of sensing that there is a problem is, a 15-minute restore can often fix the problem and return the computer to useful operation. If it’s been over a week, the use of incremental restores is required..
 
PCmover eases file transfers
 
When your have to move to a new computer, PCmover from Laplink
< http://www.laplink.com/pcmover > or < http://tinyurl.com/35qe2ze > provides an interesting assist that can be used. It consists of a special USB cable that connects two working computers together and the software that transfers data, and some programs, from one computer to another. It’s slow, but effective – especially if you only need to do the job once. I just bought two for under $13 each in case I get bit. The license is good for one computer.
 
Virtualization
 
Virtualization is a proven and effective way to experiment with a new operating system while still running your own old operating system.
 
A virtualization setup is a great way to test just about anything. You can try three or four photo programs without having to install and uninstall each one and then having to deal with any junk left behind. 
 
Further, installing a whole set of photo editors (for example) means that the winner can then be installed onto your real computer and there will be no clutter of other programs to have to overcome. 
 
If you want to have all of the programs available even though they would all fight for the same resources, usually hardware, then virtualization is a way to accomplish having lots of choices for different requirements.
 
Here are some virtualization products for your consideration” http://tinyurl.com/2ete9gu
 
Even I have computer problems!
 
Something was wiping out my desktop layout, so I went to the net and found a program that saved my icon positions for future use.
 
[Editor’s Note: I don’t know what program Jim found, but here are some that (claim they) can save and restore desktop icon arrangements:
 
Further, my computer was starting up lots of needed programs and taking a long time, so I installed a delayer that starts selected programs after a few minutes. The printer program is one of the programs I delayed, since I generally don’t need it for a while after rebooting. My only complaint is that the number of programs offered to be delayed is too scanty.
 
[Editor’s Note: I don’t know what program Jim found, but here are some startup managers:
 
How to prepare for a service call or a clinic visit:
 
Review your supporting materials to prepare for the inevitable visit for support. This is a list of essentials which will make the trip much more productive:
  1. Your original key for Windows. 
  2. Your original Windows CD.
  3. Any other program CDs, along with their keys.
  4. A Belarc Advisor listing of the computer’s hardware and software. Get Belarc Advisor via http://tinyurl.com/2dkcmul.
  5. All of your backup hard drives.
  6. A written list of what you want accomplished. This will assure you don’t forget to mention them, and also may allow the technician to resolve several items at once.


by Dr. Radut & Smokers Association