Useless Conversation

[Sand]

What is imaging?

[Paelos]

What is imaging?

I'm assuming it means reformatting your computer's HD. Lotta IT geeks roam here, so you never know though.

[Yegolev]

The idea is that there is a standard computer image which is capable of running all the required applications for a business.  Non-standard apps on workstations are a pain, and standards avoid many of those fiddly odd situations you might run into when supporting typical worker bees.

I have the opposite problem, in that I am not able to convince people that what goes on in their home directories is not something I plan on involving myself in.

[Trippy]

What is imaging?

An image in this context is a copy of a drive. Not a OS level copy, mind you, which may not copy system files with the correct attributes nor allow you to boot off the copy but a lower level copy which preserves that info. If your drive dies or the OS gets hosed or it gets a massive infection, etc., you can restore operation by copying a previously made image onto the drive (or a new one) which is much faster and much easier than reinstalling the OS and all the apps from scratch.

A lot of PCs these days have a recovery partition in lieu of the manufacturer providing recovery discs. These recovery partitions are usually just an image of the drive as it came from the factory plus the software needed to get it copied. Norton Ghost is an example of a drive imaging program you can get to make your own images.

[Sand]

So then would a home user with a two year old laptop, which is currently running 90 processes, has a HD thats always spinning, and a 50%+ load on memory (most of which might be caused by Firefox's known memory leak). Would that person image his drive to get it back to good working order?

I want Windows basically restarted like day 1 fresh, but keep all my data, emails, contacts, etc.

Does imaging do that?

[Trippy]

An image won't preserve/restore your current data, only the data that was on the drive at the time the image was made. You would need something else to back up your important data before restoring from an image. Also making an image of your current state won't improve the performance. You would've had to have made an image before you started experiencing the slowdowns.

For your laptop you may have a recovery partition or recovery disc(s) and restoring from that would restore Windows to its original factory state but you would have to reinstall all your apps in addition to backing up and restoring your data.

[Samwise]

Does imaging do that?

An "image" is just a backup of your entire computer.  All the good stuff and all the bad stuff.  So the trick to "imaging", as with any sort of backup strategy, is to back everything up while it's all good.  Then when you get bad stuff and want to go back to the good stuff, you restore from your backup and you go back to where you were.

[Lantyssa]

In IT terms, ideally, someone will take a fresh OS install, add whatever programs and patches make it most up-to-date, then make an image.  Reinstalling from that image would put the computer at its most functional and pristine with the least amount of hassle.

In some environments that's fine.  There is no data on the machine itself which needs to be saved.  If there is user data, however, this is not the case.

[Sand]

Thanks guys and gal! Yes I have a recovery partition.
Also have an external hd for music and photos and such that I can dump my user folder and hopefully my save game files to.
Is upgrading to windows 7 over vista be recommended as well?
We use it on all our business computers but is it worth paying to upgrade the home computer?

[ghost]

Don't touch Vista with a ten foot pole.  Windows 7 has actually been quite nice, and that's coming from a primarily Mac user.

[Ironwood]

Vista is Shite.  Windows 7 has been the most pleasant surprise Microsoft has released yet.

Vista is OS Cancer.  Avoid.

[Lantyssa]

Only Windows ME has been worse than Vista.  Go XP or Win 7.

[MuffinMan]

I've been pretty much skipping every other OS and missed ME and Vista. It's worked out well for for me.

[ghost]

I don't know how everyone else feels about it, but Windows 7 is very, very good.  I think it is their best iteration yet.  Of course they're already talking about going to Windows 8 in the fall to catch up with the tablet market.  Hopefully they won't change much.

[Merusk]

I've been pretty much skipping every other OS and missed ME and Vista. It's worked out well for for me.

So the rule is like Star Trek movies, except it's the odd-numbered ones that don't suck?  (1, 3, 98, xp, 7)

[Sand]

Most annoying thing for me though in Win 7 that I love in my Vista home computer-
At home I can hold down the CTRL button, click on two open programs (which means I have both simultaneously chosen), left click on either one and hit "Open windows side by side horizontally".
I will now have both programs open next to each other both taking up equal screen size. I have been unable to replicate this in Win 7 at work.

Additionally whenever I shrink a window at work, and move it anywhere near the edge of the screen it makes the program take over the whole screen again. Which is annoying.

[Arthur_Parker]

Vista has been ok'ish for me, the fairly slow startup does my head in and I know everything would be all round better on Win 7 but I just can't face spending days rebuilding.

[Strazos]

Win7 has been very, very good to me personally. It just...works, and that's all I normally ask my OS to do.

[FatuousTwat]

So the rule is like Star Trek movies, except it's the odd-numbered ones that don't suck?  (1, 3, 98, xp, 7)

98 was fucking terrible. 2000 was where it was at.

[Viin]

Most annoying thing for me though in Win 7 that I love in my Vista home computer-
At home I can hold down the CTRL button, click on two open programs (which means I have both simultaneously chosen), left click on either one and hit "Open windows side by side horizontally".
I will now have both programs open next to each other both taking up equal screen size. I have been unable to replicate this in Win 7 at work.

Additionally whenever I shrink a window at work, and move it anywhere near the edge of the screen it makes the program take over the whole screen again. Which is annoying.

If you move the window to the left edge of the screen it will take up exactly 1/2 of the monitor on the left side. Same for the right side. If you move the window to the top of the screen, it will maximize it.

So to do what you did with Vista, just drag Application A to the left edge and Application B to the right edge.

[Strazos]

Windows Key + Arrows work as well.

[Sand]

If you move the window to the left edge of the screen it will take up exactly 1/2 of the monitor on the left side. Same for the right side. If you move the window to the top of the screen, it will maximize it.

So to do what you did with Vista, just drag Application A to the left edge and Application B to the right edge.

Will try at work tomorrow. If that works you have made me one happy man and I owe you a beer! 

[MuffinMan]

Windows Key + Arrows work as well.

Doesn't everyone pop the Windows key off the keyboard or am I the only crazy one?

[ghost]

Windows Key + Arrows work as well.

Doesn't everyone pop the Windows key off the keyboard or am I the only crazy one?

That is a pretty reasonable idea, considering I always seem to hit it at the most inopportune moments.

[Sky]

Doesn't everyone pop the Windows key off the keyboard or am I the only crazy one?

On my home pc, yes. Also, the Caps Lock key goes, too.

[Merusk]

I use it too much to remove it.   Win-E, Win-F, Win-D, Win-L are lifeblood next to alt/ctrl-tab

[Sky]

So as not to derail the NAS thread:

I might have to put this on hold anyway as I started the lawn mower for the first time today and it sounded like it was going to vibrate itself to death.  Clanging noises on a spinning metal blade.. yeah we'll let an expert look at that.    Ah the joys of home maintenance.

Yesterday I was poking around the garage trying to get my mental list ready for converting it to summer mode and I remembered my riding mower and snowblower both need cables replaced and both plus my push mower probably need a tune-up (though I have changed the oil!). Getting all three in the shop and just those minor things done will be slightly less expensive than having the lawn care guys do my lawn from now until September.

I can actually do the snowblower cable myself, but the riding mower cable is buried through the center (lifts/lowers the deck). In my 'free time' I would really like to take a small engine repair cert so I can maintain and repair them myself, too.

[ghost]

I've found that there is little monetary justification for me to do my own lawn, once you figure out all the hidden costs.  I do, however, do a much better job than the lawn guys and it's the only exercise I seem to get.   

[Yegolev]

I'm all about avoiding the hidden costs.  $150 to cut my yard?  Yes, please.

[Paelos]

I'm all about avoiding the hidden costs.  $150 to cut my yard?  Yes, please.

I'm all about avoiding the Georgia heat in July.

Also, Kudzu will eat you. It's a proven fact. This used to be a guy's house who did his own lawn.

[Yegolev]

I agree, the hidden costs are often not based in the coin of the realm.

[Strazos]

Windows Key + Arrows work as well.

Doesn't everyone pop the Windows key off the keyboard or am I the only crazy one?

I use to (happened a lot with TFC), but either games or W7 fixed the problem so it is no longer necessary.

Also, my KB is a tad too expensive to be prying keys out of without a good reason.

[Merusk]

I've found that there is little monetary justification for me to do my own lawn, once you figure out all the hidden costs.  I do, however, do a much better job than the lawn guys and it's the only exercise I seem to get.   

I enjoy cutting my lawn.  It's only a 1/3 acre lot before you subract my house's footprint, so paying someone to do it would be silly for the prices I've seen quoted locally.  (Plus no teens in the neighborhood I'd trust not to fuck up my siding/ lawnscaping plants)

I'll probably feel differently once the kids are gone and I can't swap weekends with them anymore.

As to my initial problem.. turns out the blade came loose some how.  When I flipped it over later last night the screw holding the blade on was finger-turnable.  I'd checked it before starting the thing up, too.  That's scary.

[Chimpy]

xpensive to be prying keys out of without a good reason.

I just use http://johnhaller.com/jh/useful_stuff/disable_windows_key/ . Works like a charm.

[Sand]

If you move the window to the left edge of the screen it will take up exactly 1/2 of the monitor on the left side. Same for the right side. If you move the window to the top of the screen, it will maximize it.

So to do what you did with Vista, just drag Application A to the left edge and Application B to the right edge.

Worked dragging it to top and right side. Didnt working dragging it to left side.
But Strazos' Window Key + Arrow Key worked well.

Thanks!