Listening to the Voices in my Head

I hope it works this time

Without errors.  Currently on Win 7, have my Win 10 in external cloning bay, and am currently cloning my up-to-date- Windows 10 system by cloning the drive, rather than doing one of those nonsensical 'system images' that Microsoft seems to think are so wonderful. 

Their BEST system back up was with Windows XP. If you have one file not working right, you could open the back up, and find said file on the back, and restore it to your new set up. This all or nothing Microsoft currently employs? Nope, if you have a problem with ONE system file and you jump through all the hoops and it still doesn't work, you have to restore the entire system to what it was earlier.  No thank you.

Clone, reinsert Windows 10 drive, date and label the new one.

Ok, I gave Windows 10 a fair go

Close to 2 months, I used Windows 10 boot drive.   Stability; good.  Updates; too many, too annoying. Updates have a horrible habit of overwriting/removing anything you might have done.

Nannyware/nagware; I so wish Microsoft would understand that people want to control their OS and computers, not have Microsoft do it for them. 

Customizations are more than just a wee bit difficult to do (some impossible), and I can't say how much I dislike..no, loathe that desktop tile layout. It is sloppy.  I installed StartMenuX and got it back to a configurable, cleaner layout. 

Biggest Bugbear for me (and for my husband, too) was not only the total removal of Windows Media Center, but making it so you couldn't even install it even if you had the ability to do so.

I am currently back on my Windows 7 Boot drive.  It took a while to get all the programs and Windows updated after such a long time of not using it.  After that was finished, I can't say how much better Windows 7 is from Windows 10.

It's not just using legacy software that can no longer be installed due to software maker using different authentication service, or legacy hardware (the hardware works in Win 10, but the software for it doesn't. Go figure.

But I find Windows 7 also stable, the updates have only broken one software makers programs (Yes, I really liked ArcSoft MediaCenter. It was better than anything else that has so far followed, but they rather stupidly didn't pay Dolby licensing fees so no updates after v6x, and Microsoft closed off the program's ability to use the kernel for better performance, thereby it no longer would work).

It's not even the desktop layout, because by use of StartMenuX, both Win 7 and Win 10 look the same.

Overall, I find Windows 7 the winner over Windows 10.  So, as long as I can install software on Windows 7 boot drive, I will.  I know that sooner or later I will be forced to move over to Win 10 only as software makers will be painted into a corner of "Make it work with only our latest OS".

EaseUS.. you suck

I had a HDD go RAW due to a power flicker. I started running EaseUS Partition Master to recover it.  Wanting to make sure I was doing the right thing, I started a support chat with EaseUS tech support.

The agent, Warren, told me that none of my programs would work. EaseUS Partition Master, nor M3 RAW Drive recovery.  He told me to cancel the Partition recovery I was doing.

He then put some program on my computer called WinHex, and did something for about 90 minutes, saying he recovered this but it would cost me a couple hundred dollars for a full recovery service.  He kept pressuring me, and using scare tactics saying the files would deteriorate if they weren't recovered right away.

I paid, and started running the program he set up... then it crashed.  I emailed support about it, got nothing but an autoreply, so I went back to using M3 RAW drive recovery, which recovered EVERYTHING.

Yes, Warren, you LIED to me.  I will be contacting my bank to have the charge reversed.

So, if you need to recover a RAW Drive, do NOT use EaseUS products. Use M3 RAW Drive Recovery.  It not only fixed the partition, I was able to shift the files from that drive to another after, clearing it off, as I had planned to do this weekend.

Just two a day

Slogging through all the Windows 7 "Cumulative Updates" I passed on installing so I could keep using one my favorite Blu-Ray players.  But it's come to the time that I just uninstalled it, and have installing the rather backed up Cumulative updates.  There are quite a few, but they take so long to download, and then to install, just going to do two a day.

Have to say, not happy about having to do this, but seeing as Micro$oft is going to be ending official support in 2020, it behooved me to get the updates installed, regardless how many programs Micro$oft suddenly deemed unworthy or out of date.

Talk about overkill

Microsoft's answer to fixing to small, almost negligible problems, with Windows 10 is like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer.

After an update, that 'succeeded', I noticed task manager wouldn't run.  Since I subscribe to "Assure", I hopped online, and told them this one itty bitty problem.

Well, the first tech tried to do an "in place upgrade" which had no good result. Got to 17%, the the computer rebooted, got the message "UNDOING CHANGES MADE TO YOUR COMPUTER".  Ok, Task Manager still not working, but I tend to use Process Explorer. 

Then I noticed my Bluetooth was no longer working. It had the day before, as my graphics tablet was is bluetooth, and I was editing photos with it.

I checked device manager: yup, Bluetooth device is there, but driver not loading? WTF?  Ok, off to Asus, and get the proper signed Windows 10 driver for it. Nope, still nothing.

Again, I head on over to MS Support, and not only do they NOT take the sfc/scannow and DISM logs, they're advice is just to nuke it from orbit. Only way to be sure.  Ahem, do a full HDD wipe and reinstall.  I really miss the way Windows XP did backups. If you had a corrupted file, you could load up your back up and MANUALLY copy the non-corrupted version right on over.   

So, now it's a matter of picking a date and time, email serials and license numbers, deactivate programs, and doing a full blown reinstall. Oh effing joy.

On an aside: The bluetooth and task manager work fine on Windows 7 drive.

We keep getting scammer calls

This time it's someone calling from Telstra. I decided to play with him for a few minutes as I was bored.

Scammer (in very heavy New Delhi accent): I am calling from Telstra, to tell you your internet will be turned off tomorrow for 20 days.

Me" Uhh that's interesting. Why?

Scammer: Because your computer has sent out a message to Telstra that is wirused and because of that your internet access will be cut.

Me: Ok, but why will it be shut off for 20 days?

Scammer: It will take about that long to de-wirus your computer and any other devices connected to the internet. Phones, tablets, laptops.

Me: Hmm, really. There's a problem here.

Scammer: What is that?

Me: I don't have Telstra Internet, which you should be calling BIGPOND.

Scammer: Oh, no no, you see all the internet services are part of Telstra.

Me: Actually, that is incorrect. All internet services might lease lines from Telstra, but there is no way my computer would call Telstra about viruses. I would get notifications on my own computer, as I have BitDefender, and Malwarebytes.

Scammer: (getting angry) Oh, those do not stop wiruses.

Me: Ok, I've had enough fun for today, my system isn't virused, you aren't from Telstra, and I don't subscribe to Telstra internet. I've worked in the Tech field, and I know you're full of shit. Computers NEVER contact Telstra regarding anything. You really need to update you lame ass script.

Scammer: *angry sputtering and words I can't understand*

Me: Buh bye now! *click*

The dramas of Windows 10 never seem to end

Where do I start...  We all know that Windows 10 disables some software Microsoft deems unworthy, and ignores hardware it considers too 'old'.

But when updates not only remove programs, but then suddenly decide to red flag software you've been using for months, it screwed up hardware configuration that's been used since day one. 

I've had my DeathAdder 3.5 has been working just fine, plugged into the USB port on the keyboard, for years with Win 7, and for months with Win 10.  An update, and suddenly, nope. Not only won't it recognize the Adder, if I roll back and install the OLDER version of Synapse, it'll work fine, but the the other two Razer devices won't.  ARGH!

Then, the Windows 10 update disabled Windows Media Center. Didn't uninstall it, just disabled it. There's nothing inherently dangerous regarding WMC, so this really pissed me off.  I use a TV capture card in my computer to watch TV. Sure, I could use that poorly designed software that came WITH the card, but Windows Media Center works better.  Plex is useless for what I want, so no suggestions of it please.

After a few hours of websearching, trail and error, I got WMC reinstall and working. This will probably last until then next unnecessary Windows 10 update.

And then there is the sudden "An administrator as prevented this App to run!"... Dafuq?  Not only have been running the program for months, I am THE ONLY AND ONLY ADMINISTRATOR!!!  No amount of 'un-nannywaring' would help.  So, found an alternate program, that is ugly AF, but does the same thing.

Redmond, you suck. I want to control my PC. NOT have my PC control me!

Quirks of Windows 10

Beside the constant "You do not have permission to view this fold. Click here to have permanent permission" even with the UAC set to the lowest it can go, I have found interesting things.

Make sure you have your wireless/blue tooth tablet already powered up before starting ANY graphics program, especially Photoshop. Program just sits there doing nothing and you have to restart it.

Color schemes - they just go from bad to "WTF? Is this Windows 3.1?"

Forced updates whether you want them or not, will overwrite any customizations you may have set up. And since some of them require registry editing, make sure you have saved how you did it the first time. (This holds especially true with Surface Pro tablet. Some of the menus are so microscopic, you don't have to be Mister Magoo to not be able to read them).

Still not a fan of the floating tile interface. Which is why with some customizations, I have it set up to a more User Friendly configuration.

Microsoft didn't include updated camera codecs. Which is why you seen nothing but thumbnails of raw files with just Icon for RAW/CR2/NEF/ORF etc etc. Inexpensive solution is Fast Picture Viewer Codec, on sale for $9.99. Make sure you KEEP that download link handy because when there's updates, you will reuse that link.

Also something not quite Win10 related, but system related. Don't bother using Microsoft Windows back up making a full system image. Get EaseUS, and make an exact copy of your HDD or SSD. Should something go wrong with your drive, you just swap it out with one ready to do. Might have to contact software companies to tell them about the change of drive, and to reset or reissue your license but it will take a helluva lot less time.

Quick fix for everyone with Win10 explorer not showing Camera Raw thumbnails

I present to you!

Fast Picture Viewer Codecs

For the HUGE currently on sale sum of $9.99 for a single user license, you can once again be able to view your camera raw files in Win10 Windows Explorer, and in programs that rely on Window Explorer to select and view CR2, ORF, NEF  etc etc etc… 

I had purchased Fast Picture Viewer and the codec pack years ago to use on my computer years ago to be able to view Camera Raw files because Adobe Bridge CS6 was glacially slow in showing the images. 

Oh it was a good thing I didn't install Windows 10 over Windows 7

It might not seem like such a big thing, but it seems you can't view thumbnails of some camera raw files in Windows 10 Windows Explorer. It become a problem because many photo editing programs rely on the native Windows Explorer to select images (example, Affinity, Luminar, Aurora HDR all use Windows Explorer to select images).

I contacted Windows Help (I subscribe to Assure every year, without fail, and get all the support I need.

So, people with newer Nikons, Canons, Olympus... the latest codec release from Microsoft was v1607.  It wasn't updated for Windows 10.   And there's no 'date of release' as of yet for an update.