Windows 7 Woes

Two new PCs?

Are you incapable of driving yourself insane with one?

Sorry slow old poop. The only answer I can offer is to take up fishing. It hasn't changed in centuries.

Yes, a new Dell laptop and a Compaq desktop. Hate 'em both.

My poor ol' XP machine blew up its Outlook so bad this time that it can't be recovered. So I had to get new machines. The XP machine still works offline.

Windows 7 has a very cool sounding feature, where you can run programs in win xp mode, or win 98 mode. The only problem is, that it's a sick joke................nothing works in win 7................almost nothing.

I never had to deal with Vista. Win 7 seems pretty stable, however, a lot of your old stuff won't work with it.

Here's a pretty song. On the album cover, Bill Gates is on the left. You're the one on fire.

Don't know what programs you have that don't work, but all of my older programs work on 7 and I've only had to use the compatibility mode on a couple of them.

Win 7 is the only MS OS that I haven't had problems with.

My only real b*tch is that I've got a scanner for which a new driver hasn't been written for Win 7, nor will it be apparently. I guess there are work arounds, but it would involve installing a virtual machine on my hard drive.

And, just like slow old poop, I don't like changes to the things I'm used to. If it works fine...................leave it the hell alone.

Yeah, same with my old graphics tablet

Del,

Can you not get a new driver for the tablet, I have just had to go that route for my Caanon Scanner which now works after being completely invisible!

Interested in what you do here a I am very interested in a graphics tablet!

Sleepy

No, checked online, then I asked them, badgered them and then finally told 'em what I thought.
It was a 'Trust' graphics tablet a missnomer if ever there was. It was a 32 bit tablet and my new PC/win 7 is 64 bit.... or that was the excuse, seemed pretty feeble to me.
Del

Mikerho,

I do not have many problems with Win7 but I am having to change a number of software drivers. Last Night the Scanner software complained and plain refused to play, so that took a number of visits to appropriate sites to get that fixed. It was slow as I don't have to do that very often, but I figure that it is a once only session so should gradually be overcome with patience.

I was trying to find a more comprehensive solution but these all cost money, c. $30 and they all want to scan your system - not sure that I want too many people playing with my system! So I have stalled at that point. Driver Detective advises that I need some 23 changes and as I have more software to load, I think that I will keep that on hold for a moment.

I have found a software driver review site which says that one is better than the others but I will give it some thought before I want to play.

Anyone else out there who knows this area?

Sleepy

The shutting down problem is probably hardware-related, so treat it as a warranty issue - have Dell and Compaq replace them.

As far as the "New and Improved" Office menu "Ribbon", it really does suck. What I did was customize the quick access toolbar and set it to show below the ribbon. That way, I have the buttons for the functions I use most close at hand.

When I say "shut down," I mean they go into sleep mode (I guess that's what they call it). The laptop comes right back when I hit the power button, but the desktop sometimes doesn't. Hitting keys and pushing the power button doesn't do anything. I have to pull the power cord to get its attention.

l like your custom toolbar idea. Thanks.

I have two expressions I find I use more and more.

1. A triumph of presentation over content.
2. Complicated to the point of uselessness.

Like you say Word has too much stuff and it's generally in the the wrong place or inconsistent in usage.
Like if you want to change from portrait to landscape.. it should be under 'Format'.
if you want to centre justify...should be under format.
Dunno WTF is under format, but it's not any of the stuff you actually want.
And as for the autoformat stuff that messes all you justification and sticks pseudo random bullet points and numbers verywhere.
Remember the good old days when, if you wanted white space you hit tab or the spacebar?
Now look you set me off...I'll have to get tea and toast.
Actually to be fair, my windows 7 has been ok, I've got shed loads of memory, but Mrs Cat bought a laptop (against my advice) and it's slow as a politician answering a 'yes or no' question.
Del

I've heard the term, "Transoptiimal Engineering." That's when a system has so many advanced features, it doesn't work any more.

Word 2010 is a perfect example--it has so many functions built into its toolbars, it takes me forever to find what I need. What used to be a simple click--like Word Count--now becomes a search mission (wherein hell is the word count function? What's it doing in THERE?). If I could load up Word 2003 to replace it, I would. To me, Word 2010 doesn't work any more.

I'm using Office 2000 on my Win7 machine and it works fine. I didn't even have to use compatibility mode.

Hi One & All,

New computer are usually shipped but not loaded with a program call Microsoft Works 9. Microsoft Works 9 has a water down version of OFFICE 2010 but all the water down programs just have the basic "Bell & Whistle" that you would normally need. Microsoft Works 9 works on the following systems: Windows XP Professional 64-bit Edition with Service Pack (SP) 1; Windows XP 32-bit Edition with SP2; or Windows Vista or later operating system. See http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=003&active_tab=Sysre for more information. You can "GOOGLE" for free down load.

BEN

Forget Microsucks and go Mac or Linux.

Thanks for the tip. It worked last night. My computer was going into a coma rather than a normal sleep!

Thanks mate. It didn't work exactly as you described, but you were close enough so that I knew what to look for, and now my confuser no longer goes into a "coma" (as somebody put it.)

It's the same with my wifes new laptop (Toshiba), she has windows 7 and it is suposed to work with our wi-fi printer (Epson SC 425W), but it refuses to print anything, then sometimes it just stops working at all, we are thinking of taking it back to the store and getting a a refund!

I have Windows Vista but my laptop shuts itself down also. I had to remove the battery and unplug and replug to start it on a regular basis. Have not been able to figure out what is going on with it.

Hi One & ALL,
Here is a free word processor very much like Microsoft Office Professional Edition and it is free.
http://www.openoffice.org/
BEN

actually Sun is no longer supporting open office

the developers, started Libre Office a couple of years ago as a self supporting fork

Backup Files. Format hard drive. Install XP. Install office. Unless you prefer Windows 98.

Hi One and ALL,

If you reformat your Hard Drive and try to load XP, Windows 2000, or Windows 98 you might have problems finding "DRIVER" to run the devices on your computer. I have tried to Load XP on my Vista Computer but the computer could see have devices on my computer.

BEN

From Sleepy

If you are having problems with the look and feel of Word (2007 or 2010) then I suggest that you read the threads by TR Dojo in Tech Republic who has one article which explains how you can change the Ribbon to something that you cn live with or even love.

Reading that forum you will find lots of gizmos that can make life easier especially for those like me that are a little long in the tooth!

Much of this also applies to Excel; both programs can do with some tweaking to the Interface to make them work the way that you need - as an example, I could not find strikeout in Excel at first but if you ask Help they will tell you a) where it is and b how to put it where you want it!

Don't forget that there is now another menu bar for your most frequently used commands ( you choose as you go along) and you can put this right at the top or just underneath the Ribbon, helps a lot.

Another satisfied customer!

Happy Hunting

Sleepy - a happy MSoft user for well over 20 years

The one problem I've had with windows 7 is that ever since I installed it my ctrl + alt + del combo has been disabled. I've had some success with ctrl + alt + esc and alt + tab, but if I'm in something full screen and the program locks up, I have to reboot

There is no reason you can't re-install Office 2003 on a Win 7 PC. When I had to get a new machine due to a catastrophic hardware failure in 2009, it came with Vista already installed and I was able to install Office 2003 on it. Worked fine, and I kept it until a consulting contract required me to upgrade to Office 2007 the following year.

One thing that might hinder you, though, is going to a 64-bit version of Windows. Some 32-bit programs will simply not run under 64-bit, even with compatibility mode. Smaller software companies won't spend the time or money to write 64-bit versions of their products, although 64-bit systems are becoming more common with new hardware....particularly those with multiple processors. My new HP computer is a Quad processor type with 64-bit and while my essential hardware was upgradable or compatible, some software was not.

Vista was both better than I hoped and worse than I feared. I had some initial incompatibility of both some hardware and software, but the OS had some features that helped. Still, the hardware issue was never resolved the way I had hoped, although I found a good workaround. The few programs that wouldn't run under compatibility mode were old enough to be discarded anyway, or upgraded to newer version that did run under Vista.

But Win 7 was a welcome change to the cumbersome kludge Vista was. And while Office 2007 took some getting sued to, I eventually found ways to make it work for me rather than against me. Still, I have no idea why the programmers moved so many features between versions.....it's certainly not a way to win friends and influence people, at least in a positive sense. I have not yet subjected myself to Office 2010 and probably won't.

Regarding sleep mode.......when my computer goes into sleep mode for a long period of time, simply moving the mouse doesn't wake it up. When that happens, I hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete and it comes right back up. If your machines don't, then either Win 7 is not configured correctly, or your hardware is defective in some way. Dell and Compaq are big enough and prominent enough that Windows should have no hardware issues with them.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

As for using a Word substitute, I'm married to Word (and the rest of Microsoft) because of my work. Fortunately, I have enough computers (five) hanging around that I can dedicate the failed* Windows XP/Word 2003 machine to just doing word processing whilst I get acquainted with the quirks and oddities of Word 2010, and build a new toolbar that looks just like the old Word. When I get Word 2010 working as well as Word 2003, I'll make the final transition.

*failed means Outlook finally packed up, and nothing I do will unpack it. I've fought the 2GB battle with Outlook for several years, know all the programs to use, and tried everything. So I decided to bite the bullet and finally get a new machine. Otherwise, that old computer works great

if you spent 1/2 as much time & energy, moving beyond windows as opposed jumping through the hoops, you would be much better off

admittedly it is real entertaining to to follow along...

I'm sure you'll be back the next time windows does what it does best

windows 8 is coming

When I retire in two years, I plan to take all my Windows machines out into the back yard and set them on fire. Maybe even video it for YouTube. Microsoft has been a gigantic PITA for me all these years, and I can't wait to finally get shed of it. Guess I'll buy a Mac then.

I went on a cruise earllier this year, and spent two whole weeks off South America with no access to cellphones, computers, Microsoft, email, Facebook and the Internet. Didn't miss it a bit.

Hi All,

Been away for a while. I retired last fall and just got too busy to pound away at the keys, but I did miss all you people.

My two cents worth ( with inflation not even worth that much, but I digress... ) - Win 7 has given us no problems, but Office 2010 ? What a piece of work!!

I tried Office 2007 and 2010 for several days, but the Ribbon is such a disaster and so totally pointless that I had to quaff many an ale to help me stick with learning it. However, the final straw was that Excel 2007 did not seem to be very macro friendly. I have around 30 macros that I've been using for years, have added new menus to the menu bar, all with just a few clicks. I guess MS felt we should not be able to do this any more, so they simply removed those features. Apparently though, for just few sheckels, I could buy add-ons that would allow some semblance of customization.

That was when I decided that enough was enough and reinstalled Office 2003. I did however upgrade Outlook to 2007, but only because I wanted the ToDo bar to remind me of upcoming doctors' appointments which I would otherwise miss.