DeviceRescue — So long, Device Manager

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FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT By Deanna McElveen As frustrating and non-frustrating changes happen to Windows over the years, I wonder whether Microsoft just for
[See the full post at: DeviceRescue — So long, Device Manager]

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abbodi86, milleron, fisher75, SupremeLaW, Fred

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Seeing that most beginning or non-technically oriented users probably are not even aware of Device Manager or how to use it this shell seems more like a solution looking for a problem.  While the developers obviously put a lot of effort into designing an elaborate interface,  Windows users who know already how to use Device Manager probably don’t need it.  I have been using Windows for 30 years and while I have my FULL share of gripes, frustration and even anger at the endless bugs, annoyances and “features” shoved at us by MS, but in all honesty I cannot recall ever noticing anything annoying or problematic about Device Manager or wishing for something better; it does exactly what is supposed to do–and without bells and whistles.  Indeed, the fact that it hasn’t changed through all the Windows versions is a plus: once you learn to use it you never have to re-learn it (unlike Windows 10’s arbitratry and unnecessary division of system settings between”Control Panel” and “Settings”…even after 8 years of Windows 10 sometimes I still don’t remember where all the settings are).

Far too often Microsoft ignores the adage “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” (sometimes with disastrous results) but in the case of Device Manager fortunately they did not.

 

 

 

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Does DeviceRescue show all non-present devices without setting an environment variable (DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1) that Device Manager requires?

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Click the View button and select “Show devices not present”, or just press Ctrl S.
Then expand all, Ctrl E, and look for all blue items – there are lots.

cheers, Paul

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“the differences are primarily cosmetic, matching the overall changes in the Windows UI design. The functionality has not changed much in 25 years.”

The current W10 Pro Device Manager is doing everything I want/need, so, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.  It’s sort of nice that the general outline and functionality has not changed, imo.

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The differences are primarily cosmetic, matching the overall changes in the Windows UI design. The functionality has not changed much in 25 years.

If you looked that the leak source code from the solaraisc hack of MS servers that release Windows 98 (7/25/1998),Windows Xp (10/25/2001) and Windows 10 (7/15/2015) to the public, the main core code is the same. Only thing change is Windows UI which is pointless. Even partial leaked source code of Windows 3.1 (4/2/1992) and NT (7/27/1993), it shows that core code has not change in over 31 years. This is why exploits that existed 31 years, 30 years,….1 year  can still be used today. MS places a patch on it and does not fix the core code. This is why one patch might fix the exploit and another patch reopens the exploit. Better yet, the patch is a small fix and the exploit still exists and MS has no clue that it has not fix it.
This is why hackers have a free all with MS OS. Some of the Windows UI design have added new exploits to use. MS does not care since they have massive amount of users and making profit for themselves.

 

Eddy Goldberg wrote:

unlike Windows 10’s arbitratry and unnecessary division of system settings between”Control Panel” and “Settings”…even after 8 years of Windows 10 sometimes I still don’t remember where all the settings are).

These GUI changes and divisions are just busy work for MS employees since they do not have anyone there to work on the core code any more.

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Floatering Point wrote:

MS does not care

Then why do they bother to release patches? Patches only cost money.

cheers, Paul

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Deanna, this is a GOOD recommendation!!
One question, though, you didn’t mention the “Backup” button. I was a little reluctant to experiment with it because I don’t understand just what it does or where it puts its “backup.”
1 — Does it simply backup drivers or does it backup every bit of data that DeviceRescue has extracted (which is quite voluminous and for which I can think of no use right off the bat)?
2 — What is the backup good for? That is, I don’t think it could repopulate DeviceRescue with data from a few months ago, so just what does one do with a DeviceRescue backup?

Meanwhile, I’ve pinned DeviceRescue to my Start menu so that it can be used as a de facto default. Thanks again.

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b

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Some or all drivers.

See https://www.carifred.com/device_rescue/#backup

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