Re: organizational time management and effieciency

[Patte Rosebank]

Gotta love Microsoft. Always innovating to give people what they THINK those people want (not what the people have actually SAID they want), and always screwing up.

One problem with all that innovation is that previous stuff is often arbitrarily rendered obsolete, so you need to rename your old files, so the new operating system will recognize them. An example of this is the new Word document file format (.docx). Just what was wrong with the .doc file format, which worked so well ever since the first version of Windows?

Another problem is that each new Windows version eats up more and more system resources. And when you use so much of your system resources, just to keep the operating system running, it leaves a lot less of those resources for you to do stuff with.

Finally, there’s the problem of instability and bugs in each new version of software (including operating systems) that Microsoft rushes out the door. After the debacle of Vista, many people uninstalled Vista and installed Windows XP in its place.

Windows XP is the most stable version of Windows. I’ve been using it for years, and even when I do eventually get a new computer, I want to run XP on it, instead of whatever new version of Windows Microsoft decides to load onto it.

I’d suggest taking your new computer to the techies at the place where you bought it, and asking them to uninstall Windows 7, and install Windows XP in its place. That way, you’ll be able to run all your old programs, and you’ll know your computer is much less likely to crap out on you. You will have to pay the techies to do this for you, and you may even need to buy the Windows XP installation discs, but it’s well worth the cost.

Once that’s done, there’s something YOU can do to keep your system running properly: Forget the “WIndows for Dummies” book, and anything else that tells you you can fix your computer yourself. They’re very dangerous in the hands of non-techies, because they make people think that they can do this stuff, but actually just turns them into “bashers”.

A basher is someone who tries to fix computer problems themselves, by trying various things at random, thinking they’ll eventually find the solution. Or thinking that they know the solution right from the start. (see the video “If Bill Had a Hammer”) Before they know it, they’re in way over their head, with no clue what they’ve done, so they can’t re-trace their steps and restore the system to where it was before they started trying to fix it. This makes it much, much harder for the techie who has to try and repair the damage that’s been done. And the harder it is, the longer it takes, and the more it’ll cost you for tech support. Sometimes, the techie’s only option is to wipe your system clean and re-install Windows from scratch.

If you ever watch a techie at work, they make a system backup disc before they start, so that if anything does go wrong, they can restore the computer to the way it was before they started working on it. Also, they take notes and screenshots as they go, so they have a detailed record of what they’ve done, and why. Again, this is so that if they need to retrace their steps and undo anything they’ve done, they can do it.

Even if you’re not making any repairs to your system, you should always copy your important files onto a DVD, every week or so. That way, even if your system totally craps out, you’ll have copies of whatever was lost.

Also, BEWARE OF FREE SOFTWARE. I can’t say this enough. Free software is often a Trojan Horse, which secretly installs all sorts of nasty stuff onto your computer without your knowledge, along with the software you want. You think you’re installing a great free organizer program. What you’re actually installing is spyware (keeping track of every website you visit and/or every key you hit on your keyboard—including credit card numbers and passwords) and adware and maybe even a virus. This can slow your system to a crawl, and expose all of your personal and financial information to hackers and identity thieves. It could also make your system totally crap out, and erase all of your files.

And get a good virus program, and set it to auto-update. I use Avast, which is one of the few free programs that is safe to install and use. Plus, unlike Macafee, it doesn’t require huge amounts of memory to run. Macafee uses so many resources that it has actually crashed computers.

I really know what I’m talking about, but I’m not a techie. I’ve just learned all this stuff the hard way.

So, to recap:

1. Take your computer back to the store, and ask them to uninstall Windows 7 and install Windows XP.

2. Beware of “free” software.

3. Get Avast http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download, install it, and set it to auto-update.

4. If anything should ever go wrong with your computer NEVER attempt to fix it yourself.

5. Copy all of your important files onto a DVD. Copy recent files onto a DVD every week. Label the DVDs with the date, and keep them in a safe place.

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