OT: Windows is too expensive

parabolize · #1 May 18th, 2007, 01:14 AM

This help? https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DialupModemHowto

Baron Munchausen · #2 May 22nd, 2007, 12:47 PM

Well, here I am getting used to Windows XP -- only 6 years after everyone else!

I finally got tired of 'preparing' and just made the switch last night. Any 'personal computer' is a moving target of course. You can never have everything just right. But thanks to all the preparation I am getting programs and data moved over very quickly. But it did keep me up into the wee hours.

In a few more days I expect to finally install Linux on the reserved partition.

Ironmanbc · #3 May 22nd, 2007, 03:20 PM

I used Win 98se up to 2002 then I got Win XP pro, I haven't when back [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/MusicalNote.gif[/img]

Baron Munchausen · #4 May 23rd, 2007, 02:14 PM

Since I am trying to get XP settled before going on to Linux I'll ask some Windows questions here.

1) Does it do any 'good' to have IE 7 installed -- other than the obvious benefits of (supposedly) better security while browsing? I don't use IE but since it is so highly integrated into the main OS I am wondering if it gives some security benefits in other respects.

2) Exactly what is .NET good for? My copy of Win Xp Home came with .NET 1.1 and I am guessing it was installed by default (How do you tell what version of .NET is installed?) but I don't know what it means for how I use my computer.

3) Why do my XP video drivers offer fewer display modes than the Win98 drivers for the exact same video card?

4) Why is Win98 able to recognize and use an external modem turned on after it boots but XP cannot? I literally had to reboot just to be able to dial out. Deh!

Fyron · #5 May 23rd, 2007, 04:04 PM

IE7 is a more secure platform than IE6. You can just block iexplore.exe from accessing the net with a software firewall if you want. That way, it won't actually be vulnerable to much.

.NET is good for the same things any language runtime is good for, running applications written for it. As Microsoft continues to push it as the default application environment in Vista going forward, it will become a more ubiquitous platform, akin to Java.

If you are lamenting the lack of 640x480, XP does not support that resolution for the desktop (which is for the best). Anything else would be the fault of the video driver writers, not XP. XP is capable of supporting a greater range of resolution than 98. As with any OS, it lists what the drivers tell it to. There are third party tools available that will let you specify nearly any arbitrary resolution, provided your video card and monitor are capable of rendering and displaying them. I don't recall their names off-hand, but surely google can unearth them.

How is the external modem connected? If its USB, I would suspect poor driver support and/or a faulty device. USB specifies hot plug swap-ability. If its connected to a MIDI port or something, I have no idea. Does it do it every time you try to run it, or was it only after the first use?

aegisx · #6 May 23rd, 2007, 04:33 PM

IE 7 is pretty nice. It uses security model which is improved over IE 6. It has tabbed browsing and an Anti-phishing filter However IE7 is still the biggest target out of the browsers since it is used a lot.

Baron Munchausen · #7 May 23rd, 2007, 04:39 PM

Ugh! I can't stand anything smaller than 1024X768 anymore. No, what I am missing is 1280X960. They have 1280X1024 (not the long standard aspect ratio of nearly all computer monitors) but not 1280X960??? Weird.

The external modem is on a serial port. It's a plain old USR Sportster. And unless it is ON when XP boots so it can detect it, I don't have the ability to use it.

Also, one other nit I noticed. Why isn't there a 'most recently used documents' feature on the XP start menu? Was that too good an idea to carry over?

Baron Grazic · #8 May 23rd, 2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Baron Munchausen said:
2) Exactly what is .NET good for? My copy of Win Xp Home came with .NET 1.1 and I am guessing it was installed by default (How do you tell what version of .NET is installed?) but I don't know what it means for how I use my computer.

Hi Baron.
To determine your .net version, check out the %systemroot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework directory. This will contain all installed versions.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318785