New Laptop - Good thing, bad thing...

[Amateur]

I was so frustrated with the Toshiba laptop I've been using that I finally gave up. I did some research, talked to some ppl who were very happy with theirs and chose a Gateway.



I'm very pleased with it so far, except it uses Windows 7. The os itself is fine, the prob is that now my peripherals are all obsolete and are not compatible!! I can't find drivers that allow me to connect with it, so I still have to use the Toshiba for my scanner, fax, printer etc. I also prefer Microsoft Office 2007, over the 2010 version. That may change as I have to adapt to the changing times, but when you're in the trenches, it's much easier to use apps that are simpler and more familiar.

The Toshiba uses XP, which I still prefer, actually. It's frustrating, but not nearly so much as w/the Toshiba, which overheated.

Change is fine, but only when it improves something, and not just to render good apps obsolete. It's always about the Benjamins, of course.

[gillamano]

Cool. my laptop battery has died. So frustrating!

[elgoog]

i have office 2007 on windows 7 , so that must be able to fix
good luck!

[casinogod]

Hi Amateur I know exactly what you mean. Why can't software developers makes things backward comparable. And why oh why do they move buttons that I frequently use so I
1 have to search for them
And
2 now must make 2 or 3 clicks when in older versions I could do in 1 click.

I can't remember the exact feature but in dreamweaver CS4 they have removed somthing I used all the time I searched for a solution and it just turns out it had been removed. I guess the reason I can't remember what it is they removed is because I promptly removed that version from my machine and carried onusing the older version which does what I need.

If only 'progress' really meant better or more efficient instead or more expensive and less useful. Lol

[Amateur]

i have office 2007 on windows 7 , so that must be able to fix
good luck!

You are right, of course. I uninstalled the 2010 version and dug out the 2007 disc and installed that instead. It seems to be working fine! Thanks for the heads up!

Hi Amateur I know exactly what you mean. Why can't software developers makes things backward comparable. And why oh why do they move buttons that I frequently use so I
1 have to search for them
And
2 now must make 2 or 3 clicks when in older versions I could do in 1 click.

I can't remember the exact feature but in dreamweaver CS4 they have removed somthing I used all the time I searched for a solution and it just turns out it had been removed. I guess the reason I can't remember what it is they removed is because I promptly removed that version from my machine and carried onusing the older version which does what I need.

If only 'progress' really meant better or more efficient instead or more expensive and less useful. Lol

Yes, it's mostly a moneygrab. If they don't make real "improvements" they don't earn the money they are getting, and the company doesn't increase their stock value or something.

I used AceFTP2 for years w/no prob. The instant AceFTP3 was released, the "2" version suddenly stopped working, and the tech support had no idea what caused the prob. Go figure!

Instead of Dreamweaver, I'm now using a little free program called MaxHTML. This 15 yr old kid developed it for fun, and it has evthing I need, and allows me to do all sorts of things. I love it!

[LiveCasinoPartners]

... Why can't software developers makes things backward comparable.

Since switching to Mac almost three years ago, I have had three different versions of the MAC OSX, and not one incompatibility problem.

The migration to MAc was a difficult one, but I'm glad I did. You may want to think about it.

[FictionNet]

When I replace my current laptop, I'll be insisting it has XP instead of Vista or 7 on it. I don't need the hassles.

[LiveCasinoPartners]

When I replace my current laptop, I'll be insisting it has XP instead of Vista or 7 on it. I don't need the hassles.

Your right. I agree.
My Dad just purchased a new PC and it had Windows 7 on it. He had to replace all of his most important programs. It was a wreck. At the time he was convinced that the 7 OS could take better advantage of the processing speed. I still do not think the migration was worth it. 2 months later and his system still doesn't perform as well as his "old" one.

[Anthony]

It is tough will all the program compatibilities.

You can get a new laptop with windows xp installed. I know Dell offers that feature.

I am running xp and have no intention of changing a thing.

[Amateur]

I still have the disc for XP Pro I got with my Dell. Would it work with my Gateway?

[slotplayer]

I just cloned a 500G WD hard drive as a backup. I was having trouble with the WD tools that came with it. It created the partition ok and would format the drive but hung on the next step.

So I figured there might be a newer version on the WD site. They discontinued it but had this free Acronis True Imagining software.

Less than 20 minutes later I had a bootable XP copy of my master drive with all my apps, websites, data etc.

[Amateur]

I just cloned a 500G WD hard drive as a backup. I was having trouble with the WD tools that came with it. It created the partition ok and would format the drive but hung on the next step.

So I figured there might be a newer version on the WD site. They discontinued it but had this free Acronis True Imagining software.

Less than 20 minutes later I had a bootable XP copy of my master drive with all my apps, websites, data etc.

What???

[slotplayer]

was I not clear? which part? (WD is Western Digital)

I installed a second drive on my desktop and made a carbon copy of everything that was on the first or master drive including the OS.

If I get hit by a virus or my master hard drive crashes I just need to pop in and boot off the drive I duped and I'm back up running.

Beats reinstalling all those apps.

[Renee]

I was very reluctant to upgrade from XP to Vista, and when I got my new Dell laptop (a year ago now) they didn't offer me the chance to have XP on it. Vista was my only option.
I also had no choice upgrading in the office. In saying that, now that I have upgraded I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. All the incompatibility issues I had at the start were fixed over time (of course I say over time, and it was very frustrating during that "time"), but now that they are sorted I'm cool with it.

I had a discussion with a friend of mine who works for Apple a few years back and he was telling me why all these issues arise with windows products and not with apple products and it basically came down to the fact that apple has one team of software engineers working on their products, whereas windows has 2.

Now think of 2 teams working on the same thing but not talking to each other about it. They finish their job, then they have to stick the two versions together. Of course that's why there are bugs and incompatibility issues. Stuff isn't passed on, isn't communicated etc. I will give this to Apple, as much as i dislike their products, that is one great thing about the faces behind the product. If the windows guys could get their act together, we may see some better stuff coming from them.

[Amateur]

was I not clear? which part? (WD is Western Digital)

I installed a second drive on my desktop and made a carbon copy of everything that was on the first or master drive including the OS.

If I get hit by a virus or my master hard drive crashes I just need to pop in and boot off the drive I duped and I'm back up running.

Beats reinstalling all those apps.

Unfortunately, I am unable to follow your example. I'll have to try doing things the old fashioned way.

Others will know how to take advantage of your expertise.

All the incompatibility issues I had at the start were fixed over time (of course I say over time, and it was very frustrating during that "time"),

Now is the "time" and I'm knee-deep in it. I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy new hardware to go with my new laptop!! I hate it too, and not just because of the money (which I hate!!), but because I loved the functionality of the products, like my Epson Scanner. It is so versatile and does so much work for me.

[slotplayer]

Others will know how to take advantage of your expertise.

While I appreciate the compliment, I'm hardly an expert.


I just bought more memory for this Dell off eBay so I'm hoping I didn't mess up.

[Anthony]

I still have the disc for XP Pro I got with my Dell. Would it work with my Gateway?

I am not sure if it will work, when you put the serial number, I would think windows would know that number is already in use.