Having lambasted Apple can I now talk about Microsoft?

Before going away Microsoft implemented an update which enforced drop
shadows on the text underneath all the icons on the desktop - making
them less legible than I would like.

So I backed out the updates and paused all updates reasoning that
Microsoft would soon spot the clanger and they would issue another fix
by the time I returned.

And indeed a quick check with our old friend Mr Google confirmed that
people were reporting that the latest cumulative update had indeed
solved the problem.

So I unpause updates and wait for them to download and then run an
immediate install so that I have all patch packages in place and go
through the usual routine of sitting around doing nothing whilst the PC
reboots and thinks about it a lot and then reboots and then starts
coming to life.

And the wretched drop shadows are back all over the screen on every
single icon.

So now I have to look up the patch which was the cause and back it out -
so this means waiting for reboots and so on.

I think I have the machine as I want it.

Except that a couple of hours later I see on the taskbar the dreaded
warning that the PC wants to reboot to implement a new patch and it
isn't Tuesday.

When I check it is the same "bad" patch wanting to re-impose itself on
my PC.

So I have now paused updates for 5 weeks - but it is not permitted to do
it for any longer. So can Microsoft sort themselves out in 5 weeks?

To be continued ...

Today has not been productive in any shape or form. indeed I feel like
I need another holiday!
--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics

In message <ojGdnXAR5M_2I8n4nZ2dnZfqn_QAAAAA@brightview.co.uk> at Wed,
15 Nov 2023 12:49:49, krw <krw@whitnet.uk> writes
[]
>So I have now paused updates for 5 weeks - but it is not permitted to
>do it for any longer. So can Microsoft sort themselves out in 5 weeks?
>
>To be continued ...
>
>Today has not been productive in any shape or form. indeed I feel like
>I need another holiday!

What are you on - Windows 12? I find the serenity of 7 fine. I think -
yes, famous last words I know, but still - I'm experienced enough to
evade mal-whatevers, which is the usual scare tactic given to make
people take the upgrades (and buy the new computer necessary) - at
worst, I have the system imaged (I keep images from some way back) so
could recover from a disaster (mal or hardware fail); the other reason,
that they offer extra facilities, I hardly ever come across any such I
want. (OK, I did want one in the last day or two: the ability to "mount"
an .iso as if a drive, which doesn't come as standard in 7. But I could
easily have burnt a CD - or, as I did, a free download utility does it.)

I think truly new innovation in computer hardware and software slowed to
a crawl, somewhere between 5 and 15 - maybe 20 - years ago. Most new
things (and a lot of not so new!) are available on line, in many cases
for free if you know where to look. This i3/4G/500G/7-32 does all I
want, and I can't foresee anything changing that.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

No sense being pessimistic. It wouldn't work anyway.
- Penny Mayes, UMRA, 2014-August

On 15/11/2023 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> In message <ojGdnXAR5M_2I8n4nZ2dnZfqn_QAAAAA@brightview.co.uk> at Wed,
> 15 Nov 2023 12:49:49, krw <krw@whitnet.uk> writes
> []
>> So I have now paused updates for 5 weeks - but it is not permitted to
>> do it for any longer.  So can Microsoft sort themselves out in 5 weeks?
>>
>> To be continued ...
>>
>> Today has not been productive in any shape or form.  indeed I feel
>> like I need another holiday!
>
> What are you on - Windows 12? I find the serenity of 7 fine. I think -
> yes, famous last words I know, but still - I'm experienced enough to
> evade mal-whatevers, which is the usual scare tactic given to make
> people take the upgrades (and buy the new computer necessary) - at
> worst, I have the system imaged (I keep images from some way back) so
> could recover from a disaster (mal or hardware fail); the other reason,
> that they offer extra facilities, I hardly ever come across any such I
> want. (OK, I did want one in the last day or two: the ability to "mount"
> an .iso as if a drive, which doesn't come as standard in 7. But I could
> easily have burnt a CD - or, as I did, a free download utility does it.)

I've been fine on Win 10, and haven't had any drop-shadows inflicted on
me (I do hope that this doesn't prove to be a case of "famous last words"!).

> I think truly new innovation in computer hardware and software slowed to
> a crawl, somewhere between 5 and 15 - maybe 20 - years ago. Most new
> things (and a lot of not so new!) are available on line, in many cases
> for free if you know where to look. This i3/4G/500G/7-32 does all I
> want, and I can't foresee anything changing that.

I would put the point where new innovations slowed to about ten years
ago. That's when I got this computer, deliberately buying one which was
a significantly higher spec (i7, 16GB) than I needed, on paper, in order
to future-proof it to a degree, so that I wouldn't need to replace it
too soon. I can't remember how old the computer I replaced was, at the
time, but by then it was really struggling with the, not hugely taxing,
things I wanted it to do.

I'm not unhappy though that this machine is too old to be able to take
Win 11. I gather that modern chips have some kind of security gizmo
which is required for Win 11 but which this machine doesn't have.

--
Best wishes, Serena
It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one.

On 15.11.23 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> What are you on - Windows 12?

Vapour ware. Windows 11 here.

I tend to use it in Windows 10 look-a-like rather than the new centre
start button and start menu but there are things which are useful
sometimes in the later versions - I do some copying and pasting from one
window to another and that is a lot easier these days.

--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics

On 15/11/2023 23:19, krw wrote:
> On 15.11.23 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>> What are you on - Windows 12?
>
> Vapour ware.  Windows 11 here.
>
> I tend to use it in Windows 10 look-a-like rather than the new centre
> start button and start menu but there are things which are useful
> sometimes in the later versions - I do some copying and pasting from one
> window to another and that is a lot easier these days.
>
Really ?
What could be easier than highlight, Ctl-C, reposition cursor Ctl-V ?
The right-click button has been the same for decades too afaicr.

Ctl-A (select All the text you are looking at, and Ctl-P (guess) are
your friends too....

On 16.11.23 10:34, BrritSki wrote:
> On 15/11/2023 23:19, krw wrote:
>> On 15.11.23 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>> What are you on - Windows 12?
>>
>> Vapour ware.  Windows 11 here.
>>
>> I tend to use it in Windows 10 look-a-like rather than the new centre
>> start button and start menu but there are things which are useful
>> sometimes in the later versions - I do some copying and pasting from
>> one window to another and that is a lot easier these days.
>>
> Really ?
> What could be easier than highlight, Ctl-C, reposition cursor Ctl-V ?
> The right-click button has been the same for decades too afaicr.
>
> Ctl-A (select All the text you are looking at, and Ctl-P (guess) are
> your friends too....

The secret is Alt+V where you can find a few earlier Ctrl+C items as
well as the last one.

Also the Win+Shift+S shortcut for grabbing part window screen shots of a
video still for re-use elsewhere is absolutely essential - I have the
need and I could not live without it!

--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics

On 16/11/2023 11:22, krw wrote:
> On 16.11.23 10:34, BrritSki wrote:
>> On 15/11/2023 23:19, krw wrote:
>>> On 15.11.23 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>>> What are you on - Windows 12?
>>>
>>> Vapour ware.  Windows 11 here.
>>>
>>> I tend to use it in Windows 10 look-a-like rather than the new centre
>>> start button and start menu but there are things which are useful
>>> sometimes in the later versions - I do some copying and pasting from
>>> one window to another and that is a lot easier these days.
>>>
>> Really ?
>> What could be easier than highlight, Ctl-C, reposition cursor Ctl-V ?
>> The right-click button has been the same for decades too afaicr.
>>
>> Ctl-A (select All the text you are looking at, and Ctl-P (guess) are
>> your friends too....
>
> The secret is Alt+V where you can find a few earlier Ctrl+C items as
> well as the last one.

In Win 10, I have Win-V allowing me to see, and use, the clip-board
history, and to pin things there to use again over coming days or weeks.
I think that, in Win 10, I had to tweak something in the settings to
get this. IIRC, it was a previous thread in umra that told me about
that option.

--
Best wishes, Serena
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

In message <uj365u$1mbk6$1@dont-email.me> at Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:29:01,
Serena Blanchflower <nospam@blanchflower.me.uk> writes
>On 15/11/2023 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>> In message <ojGdnXAR5M_2I8n4nZ2dnZfqn_QAAAAA@brightview.co.uk> at
>>Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:49:49, krw <krw@whitnet.uk> writes
>> []
>>> So I have now paused updates for 5 weeks - but it is not permitted
>>>to do it for any longer.  So can Microsoft sort themselves out in 5
>>>weeks?
>>>
>>> To be continued ...
>>>
>>> Today has not been productive in any shape or form.  indeed I feel
>>>like I need another holiday!
>> What are you on - Windows 12? I find the serenity of 7 fine. I think
[]
>I've been fine on Win 10, and haven't had any drop-shadows inflicted on
>me (I do hope that this doesn't prove to be a case of "famous last
>words"!).
>
(I suspect those may only be inflicted if you use certain "schemes" -
possibly only "Aero" ones.)
>
>> I think truly new innovation in computer hardware and software slowed
>>to a crawl, somewhere between 5 and 15 - maybe 20 - years ago. Most
>>new things (and a lot of not so new!) are available on line, in many
>>cases for free if you know where to look. This i3/4G/500G/7-32 does
>>all I want, and I can't foresee anything changing that.
>
>I would put the point where new innovations slowed to about ten years

OK. We agree, anyway, that new innovations are now minimal. (And most -
granted, not all - of them can be implemented on older systems by
third-party utilities, often free, often having appeared before the
"official" ones came out, not infrequently doing whatever is involved
more/better than the "official" one.)

>ago. That's when I got this computer, deliberately buying one which
>was a significantly higher spec (i7, 16GB) than I needed, on paper, in
>order to future-proof it to a degree, so that I wouldn't need to
>replace it too soon. I can't remember how old the computer I replaced
>was, at the time, but by then it was really struggling with the, not
>hugely taxing, things I wanted it to do.

Last time I "up"graded was from XP to 7 - I think for reasons much as
you, future-proofing. When I had to _replace_ (earlier this year -
January I think), I deliberately sought out a 7-32 machine, although
with a bigger screen (to get a bigger keyboard) [but that was something
I wanted that had nothing to do with OS "up"grades].
>
>I'm not unhappy though that this machine is too old to be able to take
>Win 11. I gather that modern chips have some kind of security gizmo
>which is required for Win 11 but which this machine doesn't have.
>
Something like "personal identity module", yes. When 11 first came out,
there were plenty of ways of circumventing that restriction - many from
hackers, I think at least one from Microsoft. Whether current 11 still
officially works without that, I don't know; at the time, the general
opinion was that a computer without it would have other shortcomings
that would make the 11 "experience" less enjoyable anyway. (Note that
some machines had the hardware but it just wasn't turned
on/enabled/whatever.)
>
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

<Squawk> Pieces of eight!
<Squawk> Pieces of eight!
<Squawk> Pieces of nine!
<SYSTEM HALTED: parroty error!>

In message <uj54gk$26it5$2@dont-email.me> at Thu, 16 Nov 2023 13:12:52,
Serena Blanchflower <nospam@blanchflower.me.uk> writes
>On 16/11/2023 11:22, krw wrote:
>> On 16.11.23 10:34, BrritSki wrote:
>>> On 15/11/2023 23:19, krw wrote:
>>>> On 15.11.23 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>>>> What are you on - Windows 12?
>>>>
>>>> Vapour ware.  Windows 11 here.
>>>>
>>>> I tend to use it in Windows 10 look-a-like rather than the new
>>>>centre start button and start menu but there are things which are
>>>>useful sometimes in the later versions - I do some copying and
>>>>pasting from one window to another and that is a lot easier these days.
>>>>
>>> Really ?
>>> What could be easier than highlight, Ctl-C, reposition cursor Ctl-V ?
>>> The right-click button has been the same for decades too afaicr.
>>>
>>> Ctl-A (select All the text you are looking at, and Ctl-P (guess) are
>>>your friends too....
>> The secret is Alt+V where you can find a few earlier Ctrl+C items as
>>well as the last one.
>
>
>In Win 10, I have Win-V allowing me to see, and use, the clip-board
>history, and to pin things there to use again over coming days or
>weeks. I think that, in Win 10, I had to tweak something in the
>settings to get this. IIRC, it was a previous thread in umra that told
>me about that option.
>
>
>
>
For those on 7 and earlier, there are plenty of third-party alternatives
that give access to multiple past clipboard entries - I'm currently
using the one from http://clipdiary.com/clipdiary-free/ (Ctrl-D
[reconfigurable to something else if you wish] brings up a list of
recent clipboard entries; double-clicking one of them enters it and
makes the list disappear [as does pressing Esc]). It - and most others -
does a lot more that I don't use.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

so that the vendors can "serve you better". As if you were a tennis ball, I
guess. - Wolf K, in alt.windows7.general, 2014-7-21

On 16.11.23 13:12, Serena Blanchflower wrote:
> On 16/11/2023 11:22, krw wrote:
>> On 16.11.23 10:34, BrritSki wrote:
>>> On 15/11/2023 23:19, krw wrote:
>>>> On 15.11.23 17:56, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>>>> What are you on - Windows 12?
>>>>
>>>> Vapour ware.  Windows 11 here.
>>>>
>>>> I tend to use it in Windows 10 look-a-like rather than the new
>>>> centre start button and start menu but there are things which are
>>>> useful sometimes in the later versions - I do some copying and
>>>> pasting from one window to another and that is a lot easier these days.
>>>>
>>> Really ?
>>> What could be easier than highlight, Ctl-C, reposition cursor Ctl-V ?
>>> The right-click button has been the same for decades too afaicr.
>>>
>>> Ctl-A (select All the text you are looking at, and Ctl-P (guess) are
>>> your friends too....
>>
>> The secret is Alt+V where you can find a few earlier Ctrl+C items as
>> well as the last one.
>
>
> In Win 10, I have Win-V allowing me to see, and use, the clip-board
> history, and to pin things there to use again over coming days or weeks.
>  I think that, in Win 10, I had to tweak something in the settings to
> get this.  IIRC, it was a previous thread in umra that told me about
> that option.
>
>
>
>

Yes correct - Win+V not Alt+V - it was in 10 but the windows snipping
has become much better in 11.

--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics