Brother Bill's Bewildering Blunders
I used to be a big fan of Microsoft, but my enthusiasm has been steadily diminishing. For instance, I've used every version of Word since it appeared back in the '80s, and have loved the program — until Word-2007 came along.
Likewise, I have always been a fan of Windows until Vista came along. Well,
there were some other turkeys along the way, such as Microsoft Bob and Windows
ME. But I have never felt compelled to switch to
Macintosh — until now.
Yes, I'll be getting an iMac soon and will use it for most of my computing.
Why Pay Hundreds of Dollars for Microsoft Office?
And no, I won't have Microsoft Office-2007 installed on my Mac . Rather,
I'll be using the OpenOffice suite (free from
www.openoffice.org). OpenOffice files are compatible with MSOffice files, and I'll be using
OpenOffice-Writer for my word processing.
My attitude has become: "Why pay Microsoft when you can do better for
free — or, at least, for a whole lot less money?"
Why Does Microsoft Confuse Us with Similar Names for Different Programs?
Why does Microsoft have three different "Explorer" programs (Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, and
MSN Explorer?) And how about Outlook and Outlook Express?
File Name Extensions — Why Can't We See Them?
Microsoft's biggest blunder, IMHO, is that they continue to sell us
Windows operating systems that, by default, hide file name extensions.
These extensions (such as JPG, MP3, TXT, EXE, XLS, and DOC) should not be
hidden — they tell us important things about the files.
Click to learn more about
file name extensions.
Speaking of Windows, no version has ever been as user-friendly as any of the
various versions of Mac operating systems that have come along over the
years. Nonetheless, I have found Windows relatively easy to use — until
Vista came along.
Yes, I will agree that Vista has some pretty slick
features and a few actual improvements over XP — but, on balance, I find it
slower and clumsier to use. I would have been happier with some
simple upgrades to XP.
Unneeded Programs Running & Slowing Down Your Computer
Another of my complaints about Windows is that it allows all kinds of
programs to start running in the background when you turn on your computer.
The vast majority of these programs should be off, and turned on only if and
when you need them.
Yet certain programs are set to start running the moment you turn on your computer — whether you intend to use them or not. Having these programs running (often a couple of dozen of them) uses system resources and slow down everything you're doing.
Why does this happen? Well, the theory (according to Microsoft) is that if you decide to use one of these programs, having it already running will save you a couple of seconds getting it started.
Would You Leave the Engine in Your Car Running All Day?
Would you park your car in the driveway and leave the engine running so you could save a couple of seconds when leaving on a trip? Would you have a dozen cars with engines idling because you weren't sure which one you were going to take?
Well, that's essentially what your computer is doing every time you turn it on. Today's PCs are capable of doing many different things simultaneously — however, having multiple programs open at the same time causes each one to run more slowly. Worse yet, if programs not being used are running, the ones you are using will be slowed down even more.
What might such a needlessly running program be? Well, a good example is RealPlayer. This media player is needed to hear songs whose
file names have .RA or .RAM extensions. However, RealPlayer is programmed to start running the moment you turn on your PC — whether you plan to use it or not. Windows Media Player, conversely, is not so-rigged. I always uninstall RealPlayer and QuickTime (along with any other players other than Windows Media Player) any time they appear on my computer.
Another example is AOL. Why have this big program open and running if you are not going to use it? Turn AOL on only if and when you need it. If you don't use it at all (and most people don't anymore) just uninstall it.
So are there any programs that should start running when one's computer is turned on? Well, Internet users should have their anti-virus program up and running. Also, an illustration below shows the items I prefer to have turned on at Startup time.
© Donald Ray Edrington - All Rights Reserved
If you'd like to see your comments posted here, send them to
DonEdrington@gmail.com. (Your email address will NEVER be shown, but you can have your name and/or picture displayed if you want.)
Here's how to use MSCONFIG (Microsoft Configuration)
to control these programs:
Go to Start>Run, type msconfig, and click OK. Click the Startup tab to see a list of programs with a check box next to each. It's not uncommon to find all of them (many with cryptic names) selected with checkmarks. By horizontally adjusting the "Command" and "Location" dividers, you can read a little more about each program.
Most of us don't need more than one or two of these items checked.
In any case, unchecking an item does NOT delete the program — you are simply telling it not to start running when you turn on your computer. Furthermore, any deslected item can be re-enabled whenever you want.
If you are uncertain about what to turn off, deselect everything. Reboot to see how your PC is behaving. If anything seems amiss, return to MSCONFIG and checkmark whichever program you suspect might be the culprit. If uncertain, mark the first item in the list, reboot, and review the computer's performance again. Repeat the process as needed.
In any case, do not assume that this is a one-time ritual. Software authors have sneaky ways of adding new items to the list, and re-enabling items you have deselected. For instance, I recently downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader, and found that Adobe had placed "Adobe Reader Speed Launch" on the list, despite the fact that I rarely use Acrobat Reader. Beyond that, AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) gets rechecked whenever I use it.
Microsoft Reneged on Vista Refund
There is nothing about Vista that would ever make me want to have the program. However, since readers expect me to answer questions about all versions of Windows, I decided to buy a copy that would overwrite one of my WinXP PCs. Well, I spent nearly two hours with a download technician who scanned my computer to make sure it was Vista compatible. He then tried hard, but unsuccessfully, to download the product onto my machine. In fact, we decided to start all and give it another try.
Guess what — neither attempt succeeded, but Microsoft succeeded in billing my credit card for both failed attempts. At this point the download technician turned me over to a customer service representative, who assured me that I would have my refund within 10 working days. The refund has never arrived.
So I called Microsoft. Guess what they told me — having my card credited for the failed downloads was not their problem and that I would have to arrange with my credit card company to get a refund. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture? Well, Advanta (the credit card issuer) did come through with my refund — but only after several phone calls and my filling out of dozens of different forms. Thanks for nothing, Microsoft.
|
|
1990s Macintosh with 3.5" Floppy Drive
How a High School Dropout Became a High School
Macintosh Instructor
The events surrounding my becoming a Computer Applications Instructor at Fallbrook High in 1994 were rather bizarre, to say the least.
My granddaughter Jessica was about to become a freshman there - and I told her (only half-jokingly) that I'd have to get a job there to keep an eye on her. Her reply, of course, was, "Don't you dare!"
As fate would have it, however, a newspaper ad appeared a few days later, saying that a part-time instructor was needed to teach desktop publishing in the school's Mac Lab.
Well, I'd used Macs before, but my experience with them was limited - and I'd never used any of the Mac-based programs that were to be taught in this particular class. But I applied for the job anyway.
Job Interview
I was told that the resident Macintosh teacher and technician, whom I'll call Mr. Davis, would be interviewing the applicants.
When my turn came, he was disappointed to hear about my limited Mac experience, but was somehow impressed with my enthusiasm for teaching, and my assurance that I could quickly adapt to the hardware and software that would be used. Much to my happy surprise, he hired me over two experienced Macintosh applicants.
Well, I got a key to the lab, and immediately began practicing on the Macs (six different models) and the various programs on my own time. When it came time for my class to begin (an after-school session for near-failing students who needed to make up credits) I felt ready to handle it.
Things went well - but one night I got a call from a worried-sounding Mr. Davis asking if I could meet him in the classroom early the following morning. When I arrived he told me that some people had it in for him and were trying to get him fired. He asked if I'd write him a letter of recommendation.
When I asked what the problem was, he said he'd rather not discuss it - but was sure a letter from me would help. Well, I'd only seen him briefly actually teaching a class, but felt comfortable stating that I was impressed with what I saw - and that I'd heard good things about him from a number of his students.
A few days later I got a call from the principal asking if I'd be interested in taking over all of Mr. Davis' classes - because he'd been suspended. I said I'd do what I could - but was really only interested in teaching part time, and hoped I wouldn't have to be doing this for too long.
I was still in the dark as to what kind of trouble he was in - but began hearing rumors. I hadn't been aware that Mr. Davis was also the school's Water Polo Coach - and that some parents had apparently complained about the manner in which he'd punished their allegedly misbehaving sons. I was told he'd made them swim the length of the pool while carrying a folding chair.
Me? Replace a Fired Mac Teacher?
Well, I was hoping the matter would be quickly settled so he could get back to work. Like I said, he was the resident Macintosh technician as well as being a teacher - and I knew nothing about keeping the Macs maintained. Anyway, I heard through the grapevine that he'd apologized and would soon return to work.
But then there was the matter of the messages that had mysteriously appeared on the computers in the Mac Lab.
In large letters, each said some rather unkind things about the School Board members who had presumably voted for Davis' dismissal. Furthermore, the messages were locked in with a password system that kept them from being removed, short of reformatting the hard drives.
Well, it was assumed by the Board that Mr. Davis had done this - or was somehow involved in the creation of these uncomplimentary messages. I later found out who had done the deed - one of Mr. Davis' brighter students, who thought he was doing his teacher a favor.
In the meantime, however, Mr. Davis was fired and I was still stuck with all his classes. Well, a Mac technician was brought in to fix the hard drives - and shortly after that (thank God) a full-time replacement for Mr. Davis was hired.
In the meantime, I got plenty of opportunity to keep an eye on Jessica, who by now was pointing me out to her friends and saying, "See that teacher? That's my grandpa!"
As a footnote, I suppose this is even more bizarre because I dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. Not only did I not have a diploma, I'd never even taken a computer class of any kind. Nor did the San Diego County Board of Education have anything in the way of a "computer teacher exam" with which to test applicants. The bottom line was that I got my teaching credential based on a number of testimonials written by folks I had tutored over the years.
|
|
