|
GC Extra
11/15/2001 - Archive
The Love/Hate Relationship with Microsoft Continues
I installed the upgrade to Windows XP on my desktop machine shortly after the
new operating system became available last month. My first instinct is that I
love the new system, its look, and its stability. My experience since installing
has been mostly positive, but the negatives have been big negatives causing some
delays in my work schedule.
I upgraded from Windows 98, service pack 2 because I was having a number of problems
on my system, but the biggest problem was the way that Windows 98 handled memory.
I would have to reboot the computer at least once a day, usually twice. I wrote
about my experiences in an earlier column "Support
for Older Windows Platforms Waning."
Before upgrading to WinXP, I did my research. I read the comments and reviews
in several computer magazines, as well as online sources. The impression I was
left with was that Windows XP is the most stable operating system that Microsoft
has offered to the general public so far. That's what I was looking for. The reviewers
suggested that some might consider purchasing the full version of the OS and starting
from scratch on a reformatted hard drive; others suggested that most will do fine
with the upgrade. I was tempted to start from scratch with the full version, but
time constraints caused me to go with the upgrade.
The upgrade experience was actually pleasant (but I've been known to enjoy this
kind of stuff when others dread it!). One of the choices on the first screen is
to survey your current setup to see if your system can handle the upgrade and
to let you know of potential conflicts with hardware and software. I did this
first. The report was very useful and printable. It told me which programs would
not run under XP (Norton Anti-Virus and Internet Security), which ones would have
to be reloaded (Corel WordPerfect and ZIP Tools), and the hardware that would
probably not work with this new OS. With the report in hand, I was able to uninstall
programs I no longer needed or that had to be reloaded anyway. The difficult part
of the report was learning that my scanner would not work, and there was probably
a conflict with my digital camera as well. Imaging software seems to have the
most trouble with WinXP, at least from what I've seen.
I ran the upgrade and went to run errands. I was warned that the process could
take about seventy minutes, and it did. But everything went well and I was up
and running. Before accessing the Internet, I installed the upgrades for my anti-virus
and firewall software so I'd retain that protection.
Never one to believe warnings without testing myself, I tried to use my scanner
and it wasn't recognized. The scanner software was the problem from my computer,
but the scanner itself was more of a problem as it's not even on the list of non-supported
scanners any more. Since I use my scanner frequently, I had to make a quick research
trip to the Internet to find a new scanner. I knew what I was looking for, and
I've always been happy with Microtek scanners, so I found one that fit the requirements.
After I was satisfied with what I wanted, I went to ZDNet Shopper at zdnetshopper.cnet.com/computershopper/
to find that scanner for the best price, including shipping. The scanner is now
installed and running well, and the benefit is that it has a USB connection rather
than a SCSI connection so I don't have to reboot when I want to use the scanner.
The next surprise was discovering that my Nikon Coolpix 990 uses software that
is not supported by WinXP. Nikon's Web site says it's working on a version 4 of
the software, but it won't be ready for four to six weeks. Thankfully, I have
a laptop that the Coolpix can still connect to, because I needed pictures off
of the camera for a talk I'm giving tomorrow.
There have been other software experiences that weren't part of the warnings from
Microsoft. When something that was working fine pre-XP is suddenly causing errors,
my first inclination now is to visit the software Web site to see if an XP fix
has been posted. In some cases yes, in others, no. But overall I must say that
95 percent of my software is working fine with XP. My printers encountered no
problems, and neither did my Internet connection.
There are a couple of features about XP that I love. First and foremost, I haven't
had to reboot since I've had it on my system. I do turn the computer off each
night, but I mean I haven't had to reboot while I'm working because of a memory
overload. The computer does seem to load a little quicker, but it doesn't turn
off any quicker. And Windows Explorer, which I use constantly, has added views
of thumbnails and filmstrip. These new features are exceptional for those who
have a lot of images on their computers. The default setting is filmstrip. This
means that the first file in a folder will be displayed large and the others will
have thumbnails, but there are controls at the bottom of the large image that
allow you to rotate the image, and to advance to the next one or go back to the
previous one. The thumbnails feature is similar, but doesn't have the one large
image; it's a screen of thumbnails of your images. I find this added attraction
very useful because I don't always rename the images I download from my digital
camera. The digital camera gives them obscure file names like "dscn0564.jpg".
Before the thumbnail views, I'd have to open the file to see the image; now I
can tell as soon as I open the folder what images are stored there.
For anyone considering upgrading to WinXP, I strongly recommend that you do your
research. Many computers aren't built to handle XP's requirements. And if you're
not having problems on your current operating system, why rock the boat? But if
you're interested in upgrading, make sure that you understand that some hardware
and software won't work with this OS. Like me, you may have to buy new equipment
or upgrades to software. If you're willing to take the plunge, I hope you'll have
an overall positive experience like I have had.
Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS, CGL, is the managing editor of Genealogical
Computing, editor of the Board for Certification of Genealogists' newsletter OnBoard,
the creator of Clooz-the electronic filing cabinet for genealogical records, co-creator
of the new family health history program GeneWeaver, and a frequent contributor
to Ancestry. She can be reached via e-mail at gceditor@ancestry.com.
|
|
 |
|
