Windows 7 new to win7 having a moan + need help

[davev8app]

Hi
I have been using xp for....... almost 9 years and linux for 3, I use windows for editing photos with adobe light room3 and photoshope ete, and linux for everything else .
As I use windows and linux folk often ask me how they compare? And I say its not fair to compare a OS that over 10 yeas old to the latest linux.
XP had a lot of things I found annoying and often frustrating after I get used to linux
but I think maybe win 7 will be much better....... well no.. most of its just the same
1st moan ..i use many pen-drives and external hdd to get to them on win7 you go >start>computer>the drive you wont …..why!!! why can they not be icons on the desktop >click

Talking of desktops win7 still seems to have only 1 … I find this so crampt /pain in the butt that I am thinking of getting another 22 inch lcd as all i seem to be dong all the time is minimising and maximising stuff all the time, I have 4 when on linux it only take a split second to rotate my desk top cube from 1 to any other, or a flick of the mouse to zoom back to see all desktops and drag windows from desktop to desktop. Or click on a app that on my doc which is open on anther desktop and it will spin it for me.
am not asking for it to be as flash and trendy as linux but to just have the ability to switch between say 2 desktop is not asking to much(linux can have 32) (that was moan 2)

Moan 3 When I am working I often have a little window open playing a film as I work, on linux I click on the window and check always on top, so it always on top
After 4 weeks I still cannot find how to do this simple task in win7

Well that will do for now
so can I have more than 1 desk top?
Can I have a window always on top ?
Is their a sidebar/gadgets that list the drives on the desktop?

I have win7 ultimate

Thanks Dave

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

One.

If you put an icon for My Computer on your desktop you only have to click on it to see all your drives in one view.

If you right click on the drive in My Computer and select create Shortcut you will have a shortcut directly to the drive on you desktop.

Two.

Your open applications or Windows should all show on your task bar at the bottom of the monitor so all you have to do is click on the one you want to switch from one application or window to another.

Three.

To keep Media Player on Top of Other Windows…

Click the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Windows Media Center.

On the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, click Settings, click General, and then click Startup and Window Behavior.

Select the Always keep Windows Media Center on top check box, and then click Save.

I Will admit that Widows Media Player has the weirdest control system I’ve ever seen.
It seems like they couldn’t have made it harder to use if that was their only goal.
All this moving through window after window to get to a simple list of options.


Also learn to use the flick options.

Grab the top bar, "click and hold" and drag your window until your pointer hits either side of the screen and it will format to half screen.
In two seconds you can have any two windows open side by side.

You can drag things from say: Widows Explorer to Microsoft Word and back etc.
If you want to create a list of links for example just drag them from the address bar in you browser (I use Chrome) into word and make a list.

If you grab the top bar and drag up, the window will format to full screen.

There are a few apps that I always use too.
One is RocketDock.

RocketDock - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

Here's a picture of my desktop with 5 programs open. That's RocketDock on the right side.
I have over 90 programs installed on my computer and all of the ones I use normally are available with one click.

If I click on any of the highlighted icons on the task bar the application window will open instantly.

Windows 7 has a lot more features as well one I like is the slide show option.
In Windows Explorer just open any folder with photos in it, hit the slide show button and instant slice show.

There's literally a ton of stuff like this, it just takes time to get used to it.
I on the other hand find Apple Computers, and Linux, confusing!

Mike

Ps. If you are used to XP you might like to run Classic Shell, I use it all the time, it let's you open either a Windows XP like interface, or the Windows 7 one with a click.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/

 

[davev8app]

Hi Mike
thanks for that, i now have the rocketdoc and my drives on the desktop and using task bar much more so less stuff to hide with windows on the desktop
I think my main problem is i am just a untidy bugger which not matter with linix as i always had plenty of desktop space which i can get to in a split second
I will have a look at windows media playa i have not used it for years, i use VLC as i used to find WMP not play many formats and often not play a track saying corrupt or something and 9 times out of 10 VLC would play it (once i wondered why a episode of star trek was playing badly only to discover i had not finished downloading it at 89%)

So many thanks for time and effort you put in to you post

Thanks dave

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Glad to help.

As you can see from my desktop I'm a neat freak and I hate to have stuff all over my screen.
With over 90 applications installed I have to be organised.

Windows Media Player has improved a lot from the old days, I haven't found much of anything it won't open anymore.
No more having to buy Codecs to play DVDs etc.

But as I said the interface is more then confusing.

That isn't a big deal the way I use it because I open everything from the file, not through the interface.
It's the default player for all kinds of video, DVDs etc, but I still use Winamp to play music.

Mike