How do I hate Windows 7? Let me count the ways!

[bob p]

are you doing all of this on one machine, or are you going from one machine to another across a LAN?

[philip12]

My experience of Internet Explorer 8, the new version of IE built for and included with Windows 7, shows that it’s more prone to crashing and freezing than previous versions.

[ILoveTheWNBA78]

Me thinks 7 is still the best Windows out there. Better than XP though I've use XP for 7 years or so before succumbing to 7 which was a good move on my part.

[Steve A.]

Me thinks 7 is still the best Windows out there. Better than XP though I've use XP for 7 years or so before succumbing to 7 which was a good move on my part.

I guess it depends on what you are using it for. One of my tasks is arranging and maintaining my 16TB collection of live recordings, vinyl rips and plain old music files and the Home version of Windows 7 makes that very difficult although I am finding some workarounds for problems like:
Windows 7 and Vista will often automatically "optimize" a folder display if it finds certain media files in it (Documents, Pictures, Music and Video) while for my purposes 99% of the time I want folders displayed as "General Items" with filename, date, size and file type. I do not need to know the Album Artist for a live recording I made.
I just found a registry edit which will turn off this "feature" which they call autodiscovery. Here are the instructions to do that:

Q: Is there a way to STOP Windows 7 explorer from changing the view from General Items to Music or whatever?

A: It requires a registry hack. You need to turn disable the "autodiscovery" feature

1. In Registry Editor (regedit), navigate to the following registry branch: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

2. Right click on Shell in left pane, select New and then click Key.

3. Type Bags to create a key named Bags, and press Enter.

4. Right click on Bags that just been created, select New and then click Key.

5. Type AllFolders to create a sub-key named AllFolders, and and press Enter.

6. Right click on AllFolders that just been created, select New and then click Key.

7. Type Shell to create another subkey named Shell, and then press Enter.

8. Select Shell key that just been created, and then right click on an empty area in the right pane, click on New and then select String Value.

9. Type FolderType as the value name, and press Enter.

10. Right click on the Folder Type and click Modify or simply double click on FolderType.

11. Type NotSpecified as its value data.

12. Click OK.

From Windows Explorer Column Heading Permanent??? - Microsoft Community[/COLOR][/B]

After going through all of that step by step I found that most of those keys were already there so I could omit steps 2 through 7 as follows (your mileage may vary and objects in mirror are closer than they appear)

1. In Registry Editor (regedit), navigate to the following registry branch: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolder s\Shell ***

8. Select Shell key and then right click on an empty area in the right pane, click on New and then select String Value.

9. Type FolderType as the value name, and press Enter.

10. Right click on the Folder Type and click Modify or simply double click on FolderType.

11. Type NotSpecified as its value data.

12. Click OK.

Steve Ahola

*** there is no space in the AllFolders key but the software here is showing one right now.

EDIT 02-12-14 I tried plugging in a 500GB USB3.0 WD Elements portable drive the other day and nothing happened (with both USB2.0 and 3.0 ports.) I brought it back to Fry's for testing and it worked fine on their computer. I figured it might have to do with this Autodiscovery stuff but I turned AutoPlay back on in Control Panel and my computer recognized the drive just fine. I turned it back off and Windows still recognizes the drive (I think it had to put its stink on it first.)

BTW after turning AutoPlay off I found that Windows Explorer recognized external drives very quickly (it could take a minute or two before.)

[Steve A.]

I've been organizing and renaming video files on my external drives and after renaming maybe 4 or 5 files Windows Explorer freezes up anywhere between 10 seconds and 90 seconds. I wondered if it might be a virus which is why I have been running extra scans lately. A Google search turned up a discussion on MS TechNet which addresses that very problem and one of the contributors said something that echoes my thoughts:

Believe it or not, this is exact the reason that I will kick out Windows for ever.
(This and the stupid multiple confirmation of simple file actions like movin or deleting)

An advanced OS that can not handle file handling?!?!?!?

Today I bought a Mac.

I tried a few suggestions mentioned in the discussion but renaming the files on the commandline is not an option for me because of the large number of files that I have been renaming to better organize them. I did try an Explorer alternate (Q-Dir) which does not exhibit the lockup behavior so I was able to complete my project for today. I have it set up with two directory listings side by side which how Norton Commander was set up back in the days of DOS. (Back then Peter Norton was a very respected name in the computer community as he was coming up with utility programs that were giving users superpowers!)

Windows Explorer - Slow performance (Deleting, Moving and Renaming Files)

I'm experiencing lags/periods of non-responsiveness with Windows Explorer on Windows 7 (x64 Ultimate). I've moved from Vista (Fresh Win7 install, not an upgrade) and never had these problems before.

I've several large uncompressed AVI files (20gb+) and other x264 MKV (4-11gb) files dotted throughout the system, renaming these files can lock up explorer.exe for up to 3 minutes - it's a simple file rename, I see no reason for it to take longer than the milliseconds it took on any other Windows OS right up to Vista. Even smaller AVI files (200-250mb) take their time renaming.

Moving files ranging from 100mb-6gb from the root of a partition to a subfolder 1 level down (G:\ to G:\Projects) actually shows up a moving dialog box and can take up to 30 seconds. Projects has 150 files in it, G:\ has 5 folders and 1 file (the one for moving). Moving 1 file from root to subfolder on the same partition should be practically instantaneous - it is on OS X, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Linux but not on Windows 7

Deleting files - I seem to have this "discovering items" problem that hangs the deletion process. If I delete a file in G:\ (keeping in mind there's only 1 file there at a time, and 5 folders), the file is disappears from G:\ instantly but the "Recycling" dialog appears and stalls at "Discovering Items" and "Recycling". It can take up to 1 minute to delete a single 270mb file. I fail to see what Windows 7 is doing that's taking it so long to delete a single file.

I've got the same issues on two machines - one is an Apple laptop (2.26Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 5400rpm 500gb WD Scorpio Blue hard drive) running a completely fresh out-of-the-box install, the only thing I've done is update using Windows Update. The other is my main PC, running 2.83Ghz Q9550, 2x1TB 7200rpm RAID1 with 4GB of DDR3. This machine has updates, and other software installed such as Antivirus, driver updates and my day-to-day applications.

I have disabled Windows Search on both computers to no help, I've "clean booted" both machines which also didn't help.

Any other ideas would be appreciated.

The problem is widespread, many people reported it already. Unfortunately, I do not have a solution to fix Windows 7 at the moment but the problem occurs on all our Windows 7 machines (64 bit only, we haven't tested it on 32 bit). As the same problem did exist (but not that bad) in Vista, I assume it is a "feature" after all and Microsoft will do nothing to get a responsive OS again and sacrifice some of the GUI "enhancements". Chkdsk does not help unless you really have a problem with your disk. I am pretty sure this is not the case.

There are two approaches to resolve the issue:

1. Go back to Windows XP.
2. Install a File Management Tool to replace explorer. There are several tools available.

So it wasn't all in my head, thank God! While Q-Dir is a good replacement for Windows Explorer, Classic Shell gives me back the WinXP Start Menu and FileSearchEX is a search engine similar to that in WinXP. With enough patches and workarounds I might be able to get Windows 7 to work for me as WinXP and Win2K had done for me...

Steve

[Steve A.]

I'm still having problems with my Logitech trackball- sometimes Win 7 doesn't respond to the scroll wheel and sometimes it responds very sluggishly. I can always move the cursor and click the left and right buttons- it is the scroll wheel which is not acknowledged. And sometimes it scrolls WAY too fast and sometimes WAY too slow.

I've been using this trackball for many years so perhaps it is a hardware problem, with the switch or pot attached to the scroll wheel being out of whack. But I like to think that it is Microsoft sabotaging the Logitech driver. BTW I do have a Microsoft keyboard which loads its own driver when I boot up so perhaps that software is interfering with the Logitech software...

Speaking of my MS 4000 Ergonomic Keyboard I had trouble using it to install Windows. At one point you were asked to press the F5 key to proceed and when I did that nothing happened. I figured that Windows had to first load the drivers before it would recognize the F keys so I had to scrounge up another keyboard to be able to complete the installation. I googled the problem later and found that I could have first hit the F Lock key and then the F5 key would have been recognized.

You would think that the beta testers at MS would have noticed that problem and either fixed it or printed out the workaround somewhere in the packaging...

Steve

EDIT here is the Microsoft 4000 keyboard. I just uninstalled their Mouse and Keyboard software and installed the earlier Intellitype software which shouldn't screw around with my Logitech mouse. (It still could be a hardware issue since this trackball is OLD.)

[big_teee]

I'm still having problems with my Logitech trackball- sometimes Win 7 doesn't respond to the scroll wheel and sometimes it responds very sluggishly. I can always move the cursor and click the left and right buttons- it is the scroll wheel which is not acknowledged. And sometimes it scrolls WAY too fast and sometimes WAY too slow.

I've been using this trackball for many years so perhaps it is a hardware problem, with the switch or pot attached to the scroll wheel being out of whack. But I like to think that it is Microsoft sabotaging the Logitech driver. BTW I do have a Microsoft keyboard which loads its own driver when I boot up so perhaps that software is interfering with the Logitech software...

Speaking of my MS 4000 Ergonomic Keyboard I had trouble using it to install Windows. At one point you were asked to press the F5 key to proceed and when I did that nothing happened. I figured that Windows had to first load the drivers before it would recognize the F keys so I had to scrounge up another keyboard to be able to complete the installation. I googled the problem later and found that I could have first hit the F Lock key and then the F5 key would have been recognized.

You would think that the beta testers at MS would have noticed that problem and either fixed it or printed out the workaround somewhere in the packaging...

Steve

Have you tried to find a new better driver for it?
Logitech Support - Downloads, Manuals, FAQs & More

[soundguruman]

Steve dude,
you need to update the bios of your computer.
Your mouse and keyboard need the right drivers.
You need to install new drivers after you update the bios.
Sounds more like a motherboard problem, than a OS problem.

"Let me count the ways!"

IMHO, As I am concerned, all new windows operating systems are the same old operating system, in a new wrapper.
They all contain the same bugs as the previous versions. In fact they "are" the previous versions.

IMHO, Windows 7 is the same as windows vista, the same as windows XP, the same as windows 2000, with better video drivers.
but they all have the same exact bugs and problems.

IMHO,I have just learned to work around the bugs, which microsoft has never solved.

IMHO, And of course, the new version must make all previous hardware obsolete.
especially printers, cameras, monitors, etc...

One thing I am grateful for, is the Hi Definition Video of windows 7.
Finally, my video is cleaned up and much clearer.
IMHO, That's really the only advantage that I see. Other than that, windows 7 might as well be XP. There is almost no difference between them.

Windows 8? No thanks.

[Steve A.]

SGM:

I checked with HP and they have no new bios for their 6240f computer from 2009. I did check around the MS site about drivers for my model 4000 keyboard. I found that they had used IntelliType originally but had merged that with IntelliPoint to create their Mouse and Keyboard Center which was installed on my computer when I plugged in the keyboard. I was having problems with my trackball and it was suggested here that I try using the latest Logitech drivers. That didn't really help- the scrolling function would still disappear from time to time.



So I uninstalled the MS Mouse and Keyboard Center software and installed IntelliType and voila! - the trackball is happier than ever. As I suspected Microsoft *DID* want to sabotage Logitech mice and trackballs, hoping that the user would get a MS device instead.



I really like this trackball and was thinking of picking up a used one as a spare figuring it would be like $10 or so. Wrong! New ones (NOS) are selling for around $300 and used ones start around $60 and go up to ~$150.
Steve

P.S. After bitching about crap in this thread I often get inspired enough to try to do something about it. And sometimes I even solve the problem! It really got to be a pain when the scrolling function of the wheel disappeared.

P.P.S. So what is so special about the Microsoft 4000 keyboard? For some reason that has been the only keyboard on which I can type without having to look at the keys. I was very proud of myself and then my left ring and pinky fingers went numb from a pinched ulnar nerve and I was back to hunt and peck. It was so bad that I had to get a Crayola keyboard to keep from mashing the wrong keys...

[soundguruman]

SGM:

I checked with HP and they have no new bios for their 6240f computer from 2009. I did check around the MS site about drivers for my model 4000 keyboard. I found that they had used IntelliType originally but had merged that with IntelliPoint to create their Mouse and Keyboard Center which was installed on my computer when I plugged in the keyboard. I was having problems with my trackball and it was suggested here that I try using the latest Logitech drivers. That didn't really help- the scrolling function would still disappear from time to time.



So I uninstalled the MS Mouse and Keyboard Center software and installed IntelliType and voila! - the trackball is happier than ever. As I suspected Microsoft *DID* want to sabotage Logitech mice and trackballs, hoping that the user would get a MS device instead.



I really like this trackball and was thinking of picking up a used one as a spare figuring it would be like $10 or so. Wrong! New ones (NOS) are selling for around $300 and used ones start around $60 and go up to ~$150.
Steve

P.S. After bitching about crap in this thread I often get inspired enough to try to do something about it. And sometimes I even solve the problem! It really got to be a pain when the scrolling function of the wheel disappeared.

P.P.S. So what is so special about the Microsoft 4000 keyboard? For some reason that has been the only keyboard on which I can type without having to look at the keys. I was very proud of myself and then my left ring and pinky fingers went numb from a pinched ulnar nerve and I was back to hunt and peck. It was so bad that I had to get a Crayola keyboard to keep from mashing the wrong keys...

Steve Dude, I am happy that you found a solution.

I have a trackball mouse which is Kensington, and I have never experienced the problems you were describing on windows 7. But I can certainly understand your frustration. That would have driven me crazy too, for sure.

I like my trackball for CAD drafting...it seems to reduce wrist strain...it seems to increase precision when compared to a conventional mouse.

IMHO HP is a difficult corporation to deal with. I would rather avoid dealing with them altogether.
However, you should still check the make and model number of the motherboard.
For example, if the motherboard is INTEL, there may still be a bios update. Same for other manufacturers...the motherboard is "not necessarily" an HP motherboard.

Also, there are motherboard chipset drivers. These drivers can also be updated...depends on who's chipset was used.

There are audio, video, USB, etc...updates also, from the manufacturers who originated the hardware that HP used on the motherboard. HP does not make the audio, HP does not make the video, etc...

There are processor accelerator drivers, which can be updated, depending on the processor CPU chip. INTEL will provide these drivers, etc...

There are POWER management settings, in XP, and in windows 7, etc...
These settings, often ignored, can speed up the performance of the computer, dramatically.
Depends on what the "default" setting are, to start with.
You can change the power from "power saver" to "cool and quiet" to "high performance."

Don't be afraid to learn and adjust the options which are available to you.
Many people do not realize that these options are user adjustable.

Another good resource is TOM's Hardware website.
Tom's Hardware: Hardware News, Tests and Reviews

You can post all kinds of questions, and receive answers to computer questions...
However, you should still ignore the temptation to install third party "free software," no matter what is promised, or who recommends it.

[Steve A.]

However, you should still ignore the temptation to install third party "free software," no matter what is promised, or who recommends it.

Were you not around in the days when shareware ruled the world? Commercial programs left some big gaps in what they covered so a lot of small companies sprouted up with small utilities that were distributed as shareware or freeware. With shareware there were two varieties:
> limited time demos with full capabilities for, say, 30 days -and-
> crippleware which removed some of the features until you paid to register the program.

Well, that generous mentality is still around today. Linux is usually distributed for free, right? Many people use Audacity for digital audio editing- that program has always been free. The replacement shell for Windows Explorer, Q-Dir has been around for years and has always been free.

A lot of people I know prefer to use shareware programs and legitimate free utilities not just because they are cheap but because they don't like to support the big companies or have to pay through the nose for upgrades every year or two.

Of course, there are hucksters out there trying to reel in suckers for them to do dirty deeds to. Sites with "free" MP3 files, videos, cracked programs, serial numbers, ringtones, porn- you name it!- are notorious for being infested with malware. And I do agree that most of the free AV scans (the ones NOT from the legitimate companies) are scams, either infecting you with something or finding all sorts of programs which you must pay them to repair.

For people who prefer to hang out in the shadier parts of the internet need to protect themselves. For starters once they have installed Windows and the main programs they will be using it is important to create a disk image with Norton Ghost or Acronis so when malware eventually trashes their hard drive they can start over from scratch without having to find all of the discs and go through the whole bother of reinstalling everything. And they need to keep data files (either originals or backups) on a separate hard drive so that when the boot drive is trashed they won't lose all of that.

You mentioned Tom's Hardware site (which has always been a great resource!) Here is his latest guide to the best free Windows apps:

45 Free and Useful Windows Applications

One problem in finding workarounds for complaints you have about any version of Windows is coming up with a search phrase which will give you the results you are looking for. Once you spell out the magic words a solution might be right around the corner. Q-Dir is like the final missing puzzle piece which will allow me to use Windows 7 without tearing out my hair, whatever is left of it...

Here is something that really takes the cake... Earlier today I was deleting unused icons from my desktop- a very graphical interface, right? Well, they remained on my desktop until I clicked on Refresh. C'mon, I can understand having to hit Refresh if you are using a 3rd party app that Windows Explorer doesn't recognize but I was using the built-in Windows functions.

Steve

P.S. I found that Q-Dir works perfectly with RichCopy 4.0 from Microsoft. Having the horizontally split windows fits right in with the source and destination folders in RichCopy (I used to try to line up two separate Windows Explorer windows just right...)



P.P.S. Yeah, I know the two panes in Q-Dir look reversed but if you have ever tried to drag a file from one window to a window to its right you will see why I have the destination folder on the left...

EDIT I checked out the link to the best free Windows applications on Tom's Hardware site hoping to read about them. No such luck. All there is there are 47 screen captures that you can scroll through horizontally. In some cases you can actually read the title bar so you know the name of the program but even then there is no commentary by the "author" if that is what you would call him.

Shame on you, John Corpus! BTW you do know that blind people use computers, too, and they have screen readers installed to hear the text of an article. All that they would hear from your article is a loud bronx cheer...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi....ogv.360p.webm <--- Click here for 4 second video of a bronx cheer (AKA raspberry)