Windows 7

Matera the Mad · Nov 25, 2011

All the bling and bother can be cut out if you dig in enough. You can even have an old-fashioned quicklaunch bar, instead of the confusing fatbuttons, by making a folder somewhere for your shortcuts and creating a thingy for it.

Natheless, I dislike 7 and will undoubtedly loathe 8.

It really is harder to dig down into necessary things like resolution and font sizes. We are all expected to have gigantic monitors, I think.

kuwisdelu · Nov 25, 2011

Wow. I'm kind of amazed so many people here dislike Windows 7. I consider it a clear and necessary improvement over XP. Of course, I'm a Mac user who loathed XP.

Williebee · Nov 25, 2011

Meh, it's an operating system. A tool. Different tools work for different people. Hammer, drill, saw, computer, car... They work as well as we learn how to use them. As we learn, we learn which tools work better for us, and which ones to leave alone. I guess anybody has a right to gripe, but that just slows down the process.

kuwisdelu · Nov 25, 2011

Williebee said:
Meh, it's an operating system. A tool. Different tools work for different people. Hammer, drill, saw, computer, car... They work as well as we learn how to use them. As we learn, we learn which tools work better for us, and which ones to leave alone. I guess anybody has a right to gripe, but that just slows down the process.

I guess so, to an extent... But it's really just a newer version of the same tool, and though some things may be gripe-worthy, there are measurable advantages to more modern operating systems... Primarily better security models and improved frameworks. New software won't support the older systems for much longer.

Though it can be frustrating, it's important to learn how to use newer tools, especially when it's a newer version of the same tool, and when delaying learning it will only cause a far greater headache in the future (of which I think this is definitely a case).

ETA: I know some of those reasons and improvements can be hard for those who aren't very good with computers to understand, but in any case, putting off this transition will only make it 10x harder in a couple years.

Tirjasdyn · Nov 26, 2011

Davina M said:
Of course. That 's what I've said many times.

Then everyone must have the same video card and monitor, because it's recommending the same resolution to everyone.

I have a duel video card system in one of my laptops. One for graphics and gaming and one low end one for power saving when I'm out and about or just writing. Windows recommends a different resolution for each when I go into the video settings. The recommendation changes if I hook it up to my TV. Systems purchased at nearly the same time may have very similar video card combinations. It takes years for computer companies to change the base configuration, they make more money charging for hardware options than selling the latest and greatest in every base system.

The current trend (as in this wasn't always the case) is to have games and graphics software rely more on the video card than the processor. So my 1g processor system actually runs games better than my 2g processor system because the video card is better. In more recent systems there is more attention paid to the video card than the processor. (Does anyone else play on computer maker's websites to see what you can get like I do?).

Torgo · Nov 26, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
Wow. I'm kind of amazed so many people here dislike Windows 7. I consider it a clear and necessary improvement over XP. Of course, I'm a Mac user who loathed XP.

Agreed. It's loads better than XP.

Tirjasdyn · Nov 26, 2011

I resisted 7 for awhile until my netbook died. Then when I got a tablet pc with 7 64bit I was surprised how much I like it. I love pinning programs to the taskbar and then pinning my current wip to that program in the taskbar. Networking is so much easier in Vista and 7. We use one printer and only one windows computer in our house has a disk drive so when we need it we can slap it on the network in seconds and take it off. So much easier than XP. Both Vista and 7 force everything into the user directory so there is a lot less search for things I need to back up. I got used to the hand writing bar in vista with my wacom but really love it on my tablet pc in 7. I'm such a geek.

Some options for changing text size without changing resolution. Right click on the desktop, go to personalization. On the left you should see a link for Display. Click that. Try setting the zoom there, go through Adjust Clear Type Text so you can calibrate the text on the screen. Your can also set Custom Text Size there.

I don't know that I'll like or even use Win 8. I have no need of a touch tablet, I need a pressure sensitive one.

Not coming with a word processor is a manufacture choice. I got works on mine but don't use it cause I have an Office 2007 disk. Libre Office is a good choice, it seems in the latest version they fixed the RTF problems that Open Office had. Right now I have a custom dictionary in word that I rely on...anyone know if I can port that to Libre Office?

Davina M · Nov 26, 2011

Tirjasdyn said:
Some options for changing text size without changing resolution. Right click on the desktop, go to personalization. On the left you should see a link for Display. Click that. Try setting the zoom there, go through Adjust Clear Type Text so you can calibrate the text on the screen. Your can also set Custom Text Size there.

You can also change text size in your browser: Tools, Options, Content. (for Firefox) But whatever you do in Win 7 re text size and resolution, you will inevitably end up having to resize the text on every page you visit. I know I do. I've scarcely used the Ctrl + and - until now. There was never any need to. Now I have to hit on them fifty to one hundred times a day! When I make a website big enough to see on one page, it's often too big on another, and vice versa.

And while we're at it, I hate the thick tool bar along the foot of the screen and the fat icons. Clunky and uncool. Make them any smaller and you can't read the rest of the screen. I also dislike having to log in with a user name. I'm the only one (unfortunate enough) to be using this computer! What were the gurus at MS thinking of when they created this pig in a poke?

Caitlin Black · Nov 26, 2011

I like that I have to log in with a username on this new laptop. Not because I like typing in passwords, but because it gives me hope that if this laptop were stolen, nobody could get my private files - they'd have to completely reinstall the OS (unless they're a mad guru hacker and can figure out my password...).

Davina M · Nov 26, 2011

Cliff Face said:
I like that I have to log in with a username on this new laptop. Not because I like typing in passwords, but because it gives me hope that if this laptop were stolen, nobody could get my private files - they'd have to completely reinstall the OS (unless they're a mad guru hacker and can figure out my password...).

I have it set up that I don't need a password to get in. But I still get the log in screen that I have to click onto to get into the computer. Annoying! I mean if the basics were okay, I wouldn't care about this. But as it is...

The newest version of Firefox is also adding to the grief. The text size etc. is not what it used to be. Widgets don't work properly on it, and it doesn't display pages as well as IE. I don't care for IE, but I'm going to ditch Firefox and go back to IE for a while.

Tirjasdyn · Nov 26, 2011

Davina M said:
You can also change text size in your browser: Tools, Options, Content. (for Firefox) But whatever you do in Win 7 re text size and resolution, you will inevitably end up having to resize the text on every page you visit. I know I do. I've scarcely used the Ctrl + and - until now. There was never any need to. Now I have to hit on them fifty to one hundred times a day! When I make a website big enough to see on one page, it's often too big on another, and vice versa.

And while we're at it, I hate the thick tool bar along the foot of the screen and the fat icons. Clunky and uncool. Make them any smaller and you can't read the rest of the screen. I also dislike having to log in with a user name. I'm the only one (unfortunate enough) to be using this computer! What were the gurus at MS thinking of when they created this pig in a poke?

Thick tool bar? The taskbar isn't any thicker than before the and icons aren't fat. Again I'd love to a see a screen shot of this because you are the only person I've heard of having these issues.

Website fonts and sizes are set by the website designer and the zoom can only work with what is available.

WriteMinded · Nov 27, 2011

Davina M said:
Thanks so much, WriteMinded. I have a Quick Restore disk for XP. I understand you can't get rid of Win 7, and that's a damned shame, but you can install another operating system anyway. The question is, if it's still squatting there in your computer, would that horrible Win 7 still screw things up?

Hmmm. I think you are treading in dangerous waters now. Yes, you can set up a dual boot system. Then you would be able to boot into either Win7 or XP as the mood strikes. That is my plan for the next desktop I purchase. However, I would not attempt doing the setup myself. I'd get a geeky friend to do it for me, or I'd take it to my favorite tech shop.

The problems you are having do not seem like the fault of the OS. Something - I have no idea what - is set wrong, or there is something wrong with the computer or monitor. I suggest posting your issue here (It would be great if you could upload a screenshot,too.): http://forums.techguy.org/ Those folks have helped me out more than once. There are other good sites, Bleeping Computer, Software Tips and Tricks.

P.S.
You shouldn't have to be making the kinds of adjustments that are being suggested to you here. Most of them are work arounds. Nobody should have to go to all that trouble just to get a decent picture on their screens. Try some tech help.

WriteMinded · Nov 27, 2011

Tirjasdyn said:
Thick tool bar? The taskbar isn't any thicker than before the and icons aren't fat. Again I'd love to a see a screen shot of this because you are the only person I've heard of having these issues.

Website fonts and sizes are set by the website designer and the zoom can only work with what is available.

The taskbar is HUGE. A screen robber. Mine is set to auto hide. I seldom use it anyway. Yes, the icons are fat. That's why the taskbar has to be so HUGE.

Sophia · Nov 27, 2011

For the taskbar, one thing that might make it a little better for you is to right-click upon it, choose Properties, and from there select "Use small icons". You can also unlock the taskbar (either from the Properties menu, or by right-clicking upon it) and then drag it to be the size you want. The minimum is the width of one icon.

You can set Windows 7 to not have a password for your user account. It's not recommended for security reasons, but if you're happy to take the risk, then doing that means you can simply switch on the computer, or take it out of stand-by, and have it boot up without you needing to do anything at all. Go to Control Panel --> User Accounts and Family Safety --> User Accounts to do that.

Tirjasdyn · Nov 27, 2011

WriteMinded said:
The taskbar is HUGE. A screen robber. Mine is set to auto hide. I seldom use it anyway. Yes, the icons are fat. That's why the taskbar has to be so HUGE.

I would love to see a screen shot of this cause the taskbar certainly is not huge on my win 7 system.

Caitlin Black · Nov 28, 2011

Nor mine. It's maybe a teensy bit thicker than my XP toolbar... Maybe.

Sure, it goes all across the screen from left to right - but XP did that too. In fact, the way XP is set up, the taskbar gets "filled" quicker. I've not once filled my taskbar on Windows 7, and I definitely am a fan of having multiple windows going at once.

Caitlin Black · Nov 28, 2011

Just had a thought... Would the 32bit OS install act differently than the 64bit install for Windows 7, especially regarding visuals?

I have no idea what bit I'm using on mine (it didn't give me the option to choose when I installed - so I'm hoping it's 64bit, because I want to get the most out of my laptop).

How could you tell what bit usage you have?

/random thoughts inspired by the new thread in this forum

Torgo · Nov 28, 2011

Tirjasdyn said:
I would love to see a screen shot of this cause the taskbar certainly is not huge on my win 7 system.

By default it is, but it's easy to tinker with the settings so it takes up only as much room as the XP toolbar.

Torgo · Nov 28, 2011

Cliff Face said:
Just had a thought... Would the 32bit OS install act differently than the 64bit install for Windows 7, especially regarding visuals?

I have no idea what bit I'm using on mine (it didn't give me the option to choose when I installed - so I'm hoping it's 64bit, because I want to get the most out of my laptop).

How could you tell what bit usage you have?

/random thoughts inspired by the new thread in this forum

I actually installed the 32bit version by mistake the first time I installed 7. I didn't notice any obvious difference between the 32bit and the 64bit versions, at least as regards visuals/performance. The main difference is that 64bit Win 7 can use more RAM than 32bit - I believe the cap in 32 is 4GB RAM - so you can work the 64bit version much harder, should you need to.

EDIT: PS: Run the Win 7 Upgrade Adviser if you're not sure what your PC can run.

Williebee · Nov 28, 2011

Cliff Face said:
Just had a thought... Would the 32bit OS install act differently than the 64bit install for Windows 7, especially regarding visuals?

I have no idea what bit I'm using on mine (it didn't give me the option to choose when I installed - so I'm hoping it's 64bit, because I want to get the most out of my laptop).

How could you tell what bit usage you have?

/random thoughts inspired by the new thread in this forum

In Win7 click the round Start button (bottom left). Type System in the Start Search bar that appears and select System from the available prompts. Whether it is 64 or 32 bit will show up under System Type.

BTW, the default size for the Win7 taskbar is set in pixels (40). SO, how big it appears on your screen is going to depend upon your screen size and resolution.

Caitlin Black · Nov 28, 2011

Okay, thanks Willie.

I now know I'm using 64bit.

Davina M · Nov 28, 2011

Sophia said:
For the taskbar, one thing that might make it a little better for you is to right-click upon it, choose Properties, and from there select "Use small icons". You can also unlock the taskbar (either from the Properties menu, or by right-clicking upon it) and then drag it to be the size you want. The minimum is the width of one icon.

.

Thanks for this, Sophia. It reduced the size of the task bar and the icons. However, the Start button is still as big. Still, I can live with it.

Margarita Skies · Dec 1, 2011

Hello.

I've been using Windows 7 since I got this Toshiba laptop on January 2, 2010 and started using it out of the box on Jan. 3, 2010, and so far I haven't had any screen-resolution problems, font problems or anything of that sort. I guess it all depends on the user. Some people have a hard time getting used to newer OS's that come with their new computers, laptops, net-books, etc. I am lucky because when I get a new computer with a new OS, it's not hard at all for me to get the hang of the OS until I get used to it. I used Windows XP from 2002 - 2007, which was when I got my first laptop with Windows Vista Home Premium installed on it, and I know most users had complaints, but I never had problems with it either specifically because of the OS itself. I really don't understand why Davina M. is having these problems. She's the first user I've read here with these complaints with Windows 7 because my laptop is 1280x800 resolution for a 15.6" laptop and it's perfect. Win 7 never gave me resolution problems. You might want to seek some help from a computer technician, Davina, because the more you mess with the resolution and stuff, I'm afraid the more you're going to mess it up, no offense intended. Personally I would only use Windows XP again if I got a hand-me down computer with WinXP installed on it. I don't know, that's just me.

alleycat · Dec 5, 2011

Since the original poster has left the building, I'm going to lock this thread.

If someone else has a problem with Windows 7, feel free to start a new thread.

Windows 7

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

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