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Yes!!! Both!!! I knew that this was the place I’d get my answer….

The situation was made extreme because the touch pad driver had been lost – mouse properties showed me using a PS2 mouse connected thru the ps2 connector, with (I guess) a “Tap” facility on almost every part of the panel.

Reinstalled new driver and set the hover preference – sorted!

Many thanks.

Regards

kb-r

Hi.
That was quick! Thanks for the reply. I was just about to return to say that in the interim I found Killbox which has deleted it. (Everything else still works – so far…..)

Now, back to what caused the messing around in the first place, which is that my list of program files is in columns and extends beyond the edge of the screen; and it doesn’t scroll at all so I have to guess what is there (I was trying to drag it when I dragged the folder in question).
So – back to the task.

Again, thank you for your interest.

Regards

kbr

Hi.

Thanks for the reply. You have confirmes what I had come to suspect, having pretty well given up trying to make it behave differently. I have Office 2003, but I installed 2000 in the new machine for familiarity’s sake. Hmmm… Now I’ll consider updating.

Cheers

kbr

Hi, Sheryl.

I suggest you hang on a little while for someone more experienced with this OS to confirm the following (last time I tried changing something like this, I got locked out of the PC!) but:
If you go to Start/Control Panel/User Accounts…
Select

PS: I seem to have achieved something with the “tasks” thingy on the LH side of a folder view, under details.

T’s strange, t’is very strange…

Hi.

Thanks for the information, Argus and DaveA.

The explanation of “setting up users”, etc, is interesting, and I can see that I shouldn’t have been such a compliant dhap when I first switched on and was asked to name a user and/or users. Not to worry – thanks for the info; it will serve for future reference.

I have already explored Annoyances.org, including the linked thread. The first post pretty well echoes my own complaint, but none of the suggested approaches satisfies the requirement; the MS article, kb819028 referred to by one respondent, and seeming to answer the question, doesn’t exist.

I think the truth of the matter rest with the response that says, “…this is not want we want but it is all that “Microsoft” left us with. It is however better than nothing. I, like everyone else, enjoyed using the “View” as a Web Page” function in the older versions of Windows Explorer. This is why I also have windows 98SE loaded on my computer.”

Hey-ho.

kbr

Hi, Brent.

I guess that being lumbered with the whole contents of the package is the true cost of the reasonable deal!

“Anyone know if the Media Center stuff can be uninstalled…”
That would depend on what “the Media Centre” is. I noticed that there seems to be a “Media Centre” version of XP floating about, at least in theworld of OEM. If it be that one, then you may be stuck with it. What I had was a Dell thing (cobbled up with the help of Sonic, I think) and other stuff that was inclined to the “media experience”, and although it looked to be a wonderfully mind-blowing setup for those with 75″ screens and batteries of speakers, it just wasn’t for me.

For myself, I’m getting more used to the weird file structure – I can see its purpose, I just don’t share that purpose. And as I said before, my main problem (if I’m really honest) is “Old Fogeyness”, ie, why can’t things stay the same?

On that question, there is one W98 facility that was so good that the loss of it in XP must surely have been an act of pure mischief: the “View as webpage” option for folders that gave the nice little bit of blue-sky effect in the left top corner but, more importantly, gave a little preview of a file’s contents, or a thumbnail if it were a pic, when you single clicked it. (I know I have the option of mugshots instead of icons, but I like icons!)

Another question that is bugging me is, who is the “Default User”? It’s not me, because alongside that is “k” (Me!). However, if I go into “Default User” I find a folder called “Owner’s Documents”. Maybe I’m mistaken in thinking that I am the owner of this machine, because if I go into that folder, none of my documents are there! Unt sunt humana!

Having removed the McAfee, check the folders, do a search; I found that it left quite a bit behind, including the McA Antispam and an updater. Same applies to Real Player (which was also on mine! Yuk!) That sems to get it’s feelers everywhere.

RegSupreme Pro is good for such cleanups.

kbr

kbr

Hi.

Thanks for the replies.

I must admit to a certain amount of “unfamiliarity breeds dislike” ( I still miss DOS!). But I do find it a bit daft that in many “tree” style depictions a folder contained in the C: drive is shown as superior to it – although that was easily rectified, and My Computer now shows the principle contents of the drive, rather than convenience items. I suppose that, once again, I have to make the most of what someone wants me to want, rather than giving me want I want (without going to all the trouble of a diy solution, or some other operating system).

“I guess they try to make the PC experience as easy and pleasant as they can…”
Hm… You are obviously not as cynical as I, Big Al: I saw it as cramming in as much ‘trial’ stuff as they could get commission on, coupled with hanging as many whistles and bells as they can think of as part of a growing competition with PC World. The answer to that lies in avoiding the Dell “Offers”, which I suspect are a sort of production line output: a “clean” machine, ordered from scratch would probably cost more, being a custom job. (There’s irony!)

Reading between the lines of several conversations with Dell’s sales people, I suspect that the software for a particular run is pumped in as a package – OS and accessories; interestingly, I was told by one that although I couldn’t have McAfee and Works 7, etc, removed at the factory, I could have MS Office instead of Works for an extra cost.

Hans – I’m sorry that the word I used caused offence. Where I come from it is as colloquial in such a context, as the word “mess” – I’ve even heard a priest use that same phrase in a sermon! However, I believe that “offensive” is defined by the receiver, and so I have removed it.

I’ve been using Tweakui for some years, but the latest one that downloaded for XP seems a little emasculated compared to what it used to be like, and I find that hacking the registry around is often more productive. (My wife has bet me that I shall be re-installing Windows within the month!)

Again, thanks for the interest.

Regards

kbr