Windows Vista and Me

[Guerri Stevens]

I know I will get used to this, but there are two things about Vista that drive me crazy right now (well there are more than two, a LOT more, but I am trying to be patient). Maybe one or another of you can provide insight on how to set them up "properly", meaning the way I want.

One is Windows Internet Explorer. Yes, I have downloaded the newest versions of both Firefox and Thunderbird and will install them soon. But for now, IE is what I use. I may be wrong about this, but it appears to me that sometimes if I type in a URL and hit the enter key the blasted thing does a Google search instead of going to that URL. Possibly this happens only when the URL is incorrect but in any event when I want a Google search I will ask for one and if I don't ask for it I don't want it.

Part B of this is the google search box in what I refer to as the address bar, the place where you type in a URL. I thought foolishly that I might be able to get rid of it, but no, this version of Windows is going to help me, and I can substitute another search engine instead of Google, but evidently I cannot turn this off and get it out of the address bar.

Another thing that is at the top of my annoyance list, is that on the Desktop is an icon for me. You know, the old chain that used to be Documents and Settings with All Users, Guerri (in my case), etc. I cannot delete the icon because it is not a shortcut, but is actually in that chain, under Desktop. How can I keep it from displaying on the Desktop? I want it out of there. This is my computer, and PC stands for Personal Computer, and I should be able to set things up as I want them (grrrr).

A rant: it appears to me that each successive version of Microsoft's operating system becomes more "helpful" and instrusive and less flexible. OK, this is the Home Premier version; it came with the computer and I was too cheap and too lazy to get either the Business or the Ultra version. But maybe I should. But geez, they changed things to make them more fancy when there was no overwhelming reason to do so! Free Cell, for instance, which I hate in its new implementation. End of Rant.

[Peter Creasey]

Guerri, The CIS Windows Board (http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=start&webtag=ws-winprohelp) is normally quite helpful with issues like you are concerned about.

[earler]

The search box is on the far right of the screen and plenty of room is to the left of it to type in a url. That said, you may prefer firefox. I use both of them myself.

As for that icon, which is the user icon. It is awfully useful since you can get to certain files more readily than going through the old 'my computer'. Perhaps if you switch to a plain user with no powers that icon will disappear. You'll miss it then.

[davidh]

The search box is on the far right of the screen and plenty of room is to the left of it to type in a url. That said, you may prefer firefox. I use both of them myself.

for Guerri [, et al.]:

I moved the search box in Firefox from the right hand side of the navigation bar, up one bar, to the menu bar, where there is usually significantly more sideways space. Resulting in rather wide entry boxes both for URL addresses in the nav bar and search expressions in the search box (having been moved up to the menu bar.

I use the Firefox "new tab" feature so much that I also added the "new tab" button/icon to the nav bar, just on the right hand side of the "home" icon.

Firefox tool bars may be customized by doing a right click on an empty area of one of the the toolbars, e.g. right click on nav bar or on menu bar.

[Dan in Saint Louis]

I moved the search box in Firefox from the right hand side of the navigation bar, up one bar, to the menu bar, where there is usually significantly more sideways space. Resulting in rather wide entry boxes both for URL addresses in the nav bar and search expressions in the search box (having been moved up to the menu bar.
Too cool! I knew the toolbars could be customized, but I never tried using that feature to MOVE something -- only to add or remove it. Thanks!

[earler]

No need even to have the tab button. Ctrl-t will readily open a new one.

[davidh]

No need even to have the tab button. Ctrl-t will readily open a new one.
I'm almost all dis-acclimated to using tapcis and Programmer's Workbench. Don't tempt me to return to the MS-DOS Old testament. All knees shall bow to the GUI and to the Mouse.

DH

[Guerri Stevens]

Thanks for all the comments!

Yes, I do prefer Firefox, and have now got it installed. It, unlike Internet Explorer, allowed me to remove the search box from the toolbar. The issue was not a matter of not enough space for typing the URL, but rather a preference for not having stuff that I feel I don't need.

I also managed to remove the icon for myself that was on my desktop. Don't ask me how cause I can't remember! I have the impression that icons appear and disappear, but I can't prove it, so this morning I made a list of what's there. A log is pre-installed and probably unwanted and probably trial versions of software, most of which I can remove at leisure.

[Guerri Stevens]

New annoyances with Vista: I decided to uninstall trial versions of stuff I didn't expect to want, at least not as trials. One was Microsoft Office. It took awhile to uninstall, and then today I discovered that it saved its files in case I wanted it back! Well, that's not Vista per se, I suppose.

Another thing is the CDs. There are two formats: Live File System and Mastered. The Live format cannot be read by older operating systems (prior to Windows XP). So guess which one is, apparently, the default?

One thing I like, and it may be Toshiba, but I think it's Vista: the help is actually helpful. Not totally so, but often a search will actually locate what I want and explain it clearly.