Windows 7 Some questions about Win7

[Fahad Ahmed]

Hi

I am new to Windows7 and have already used WinXP. I wanted to know that what exactly is the difference between WinXP and Win7?

How do we check SP on Win7?

 

[sirloyne]

I wanted to know that what exactly is the difference between WinXP and Win7?

1. You can't change your start-up sound with Windows 7
2. If you want your desktop icons in neat rows Windows 7 will rearrange them alphabetically when you add a new one.
3. The search feature in Windows 7 is useless.
4. The Start menu is horrible.
5. You can't group your files and folders by letters of the alphabet. In Windows 7 you get A-H, I-P and Q-Z. That's it.
6. I hope you didn't like Media Player 10, because you're gonna hate MP12.
7. Did you want to share Desktops between XP and 7 over a network? Too bad.
8. The Control Panel is just a complete mess.
9. In Windows 7 there's this awesome blue rectangle that extends either all the way to the end of the screen or to the next file or folder. The great thing about this, is if you're like me and have several hundred folders, it makes dragging and dropping a new folder next to impossible without adding it to another folder. There's no "safe zones". The only way to avoid this is to use the "List" view so all of your folders are side scrolling tiny icons in one giant group. It really really sucks.
10. Do you like having Windows Explorer always open on one half of your screen, while things like external drives always open on the other? get use to that not working.
11. Did you ever right click on a file and pick open with and see a whole list of programs to choose from? In Windows 7 that list will be empty... that is until you manually navigate through a bunch of sub-folders and then pick the one you want, and then guess what happens... that empty list won't be empty anymore. There will be a whole bunch of programs to choose from, most likely including the one you just picked, which will be there twice now. You see, they were all there to begin with, but they were invisible. Easier, yes?
12. Did you use "Quick Launch"? They hid that. You'll have to look up how to get it back.
13. The "Up Level" button in windows explorer... gone.
14. Windows 7 is loaded with useless eye-candy that does nothing but slow down your computer.

 

[sirloyne]

I tried to list a number of things but the truth of what you can expect was deemed "un-approved" by the moderators. Maybe I should have just lied and said 7 is like a chocolate chip cookie full of sunshine.

 

[patcooke]

I tried to list a number of things but the truth of what you can expect was deemed "un-approved" by the moderators. Maybe I should have just lied and said 7 is like a chocolate chip cookie full of sunshine.

Your post was not "un-approved". It was submitted for approval and I have approved it - Windows 7 Forums respects the rights of all contributors to free speech and express their opinions.

In the same mode I have to add my opinion that I trust your approach to life in general is not so completely negative - life and Windows 7 both have much to offer to those who perceive their glass to be half full rather than half empty.

 

[sirloyne]

Your post was not "un-approved". It was submitted for approval and I have approved it - Windows 7 Forums respects the rights of all contributors to free speech and express their opinions.

Perhaps I misunderstood the private message that was sent to me from Link Removed...

"Hello sirloyne,
The post that you created in the following thread has been un-approved"
I think it was the "un" that threw me. That and the fact that my post was temporarily removed.

Thank you for your concern but my "approach to life in general is not so completely negative". However, I do believe that no matter how much sugar you pour on a pile of manure it's still just a pile of manure.

And as far as Windows 7 having "much to offer to those who perceive their glass to be half full rather than half empty", thank you again for pointing this out as it's my primary argument against Windows 7... in that it only does half as much as XP while using 4x the space and 4x the memory.

 

[sirloyne]

Good news folk, I received another PM from AdamsappleoneLink Removed and he told me that...



I asked him how to show in groups like in XP, that is A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H... not A-H like in 7, and when he tells me I'll be sure and share it with the rest of you.

 

[kemical]

Hi

I am new to Windows7 and have already used WinXP. I wanted to know that what exactly is the difference between WinXP and Win7?

How do we check SP on Win7?

There are in fact many differences which some like and some don't but in general the layout is roughly the same. Desktop, Start menu and Control Panel are all pretty much where you would expect them to be.
This blog has a few handy hints: Top 10 Differences between Windows XP and Windows 7

For a really full account and a valuable aid too is the guide available over at Tweakguides.com. It's free, unbiased and will show you how to set it up and run perfectly: Link Removed

 

[Adamsappleone]

Good news folk, I received another PM from AdamsappleoneLink Removed and he told me that...



I asked him how to show in groups like in XP, that is A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H... not A-H like in 7, and when he tells me I'll be sure and share it with the rest of you.

IMHO, grouping doesn't offer any real advantage, all Windows 7 does is place a Divider between the groups and that's the only difference.
If you really want to find an answer, as I have found numerous, Google is your friend.

Here are a few excerpts from files and folders alphabetically - CNET Windows 7 Forums

The only ridiculous thing here seems to be that someone can use a computer this long and not know this. Or that they didn't think to take 10 seconds to do a search with a search engine to find hundreds of different pages describing various methods. Instead blaming Windows because it can't read their mind (and if it could, they'd be complaining about privacy issues) to figure out exactly what they want.

It's just different, and so the failure here is that you have learned how to sort files in Windows XP, not how to sort files in pretty much any OS. So when presented with something that isn't exactly like Windows XP, you're at a loss.

Same goes for all your other negative/argumentative points, Google for your issue and you will find the answer.
It's not the OS.

A computer is only as infallible as its user.

Regards
Don

 

[Trouble]

Not sure what all the hoopla is about regarding "View" settings.
Seems to me that if you want something similar to XP you might consider using "Details" view and simply right click and select "Group By"-> "None".
That should provide columns like "Name", "Date Modified", "Type", etc., and of which you can click the column header and sort ascending or descending depending on your wishes.
Or have I missed entirely the point of this discussion? Which seems to be devolving and in jeopardy of being closed as argumentative.
The "P" in "PM" stands for "Private", obviously there is some misunderstanding regarding the definition of the word "Private".
IF you don't like the "Group By" feature, turn it off by choosing "Group By" none from the right click context menu.
If you don't like the "Sort By" feature, change it to better suit your needs.
And consider using the "Details" view option as a potential remedy for other issues that seem to be making you unhappy for some reason.
You opinions are appreciated and respected here. No one and I do mean no one likes everything about everything in any particular version of any OS. It drove me nuts that they removed the little hand under the icons that represented "Shared" directories and I ranted about it relentlessly for a while and then promptly got over it and moved on.
Boy are you really not going to like Windows 8
Regards
Randy

 

[sirloyne]

The whole thing about showing folders in groups, sorted by the letters of the alphabet is this... I have nearly 600 folders and let me tell you, looking for one that starts with a "D" in the A-H chunk of over 200 folders sucks. Showing them by Details just make a really, really long list I have to scroll through, Content does the same thing. Tiles creates that stupid blue rectangle that extends all the way across the screen which makes dragging and dropping a new folder next to impossible without adding it to another folder, the same goes with Small Icons. With Medium Icons you can kind of find a "Safe Zone" in between the folders, but it's still a pain, and with larger icons the space is bigger but not it takes forever to try to find what you want. This could all be avoided by just sorting by letters like you could in XP.

 

[Trouble]

You should maybe consider taking advantage of some of the built in features, like tapping the "D" key which will immediately take you to the first folder in the view that starts with "D". Or perhaps using the search function on the tool bar which will take you to the folder you want.
I have the same problem finding a book at the library those people have the audacity to use the Alphabet to group by authors and then the alphabet again to sort by title name and couple that with something called the Dewey Decimal System, frustrating.
I guess life's a bitch and then you die. Oh, well.

 

[Mitchell_A]

I will leave this thread with this link:
Explore Windows 7 features - Microsoft Windows

Compare it to Windows XP. Windows 7 is an improvement upon previous iterations of Windows, in no way a lesser product.
Now that this thread has been derailed (as Trouble stated), it is no longer conducive to helpful discussion and may be closed if this continues.

Perhaps your post was accidentally duplicated and one was unapproved, or maybe Adamsappleone genuinely rejected the points viewed in your post. Regardless, it deserves to have been approved under freedom of speech. You are entitled to your opinion (and may voice it), of course. However, as was stated, PM stands for Private Messaging, meaning content received through that channel is not to be posted publicly. If an issue has arisen, please use the Report Post function at the bottom of any PM or post. This will allow us privately as a staff to evaluate any concerns and take the appropriate action, updating you when we have reached a consensus.

And next time, please try and determine the most appropriate place for your post. As can be seen from the sticky thread in the main Tweaks section, this area is Link Removed

Thank-you.

 

[sirloyne]

The fact that this topic has strayed away from the original point isn't my fault. I mentioned differences between XP and 7 as the OP requested. The fact that they weren't happy thoughts isn't my problem. Virtually every single one is a point that had been made in these forums by other people. The horrible start menu for one. The terrible search for another. These are things I thought the OP should know about as they just entered the Windows 7 quagmire. If other people felt like they had to point out that, since they don't have a lot of folders to organize, I must be the one with a problem what am I to do? I simply explained my position. My original intention was not one of entering any kind of argument.

 

[kemical]

My original intention was not one of entering any kind of argument.

This gave me such a laugh... Thank you.

 

[sirloyne]

This gave me such a laugh... Thank you.

I don't get it.

 

[shaneblack]

I don't know what your talking about Windows 7 being so horrible, if you were a gamer then you would be happy because 7 has directx 11 which alot of games use. Windows 7 has newer technology that improves driver support, and clear type support which makes the whole screen sharper and easier to read. I've spent 10 years on XP and Im glad to move on from it. It was good, and served me well for the most part. But issues I had with it made me fustrated and mad because it always seemed like I had to re install the darn thing every 4 or 5 months. I had no viruses and defraged daily, but after time the system seemed to slow down and be become trouble sum. Windows 7 is a huge step up, I have a huge library of music, games, videos, movies, pictures. All easy to get to. Thats my opinion, if you don't like 7 then try win8. Or stick to what you like best, Nobody will call you a bad or stupid person for doing so. Atleast I won't. If they didn't make Windows 7 or 8 then yea I'd feel just fine on XP. I can deal with its qurks. After 10 years of using it you get to know all what to do to keep it going. But with Windows 7 I don't have to waste time trying to improve system performance because it slowed down for no reason. Google windows xp slows down after in use for awhile. You'll see.