Pellaz

Hey guys, as I posted in another thread I'm getting ready to make a switch from the dreaded ME to windowsXP. Sadly, xp is a 2 letter word and not search function friendly, so sorry if these have been rehashed to death, just point me in the right direction if that's the case.

Question the first and foremost-What's the deal with privacy and xp? I remember hearing about a big brother aspect to xp that you could disable, but this was during launch, and it's been a very successful os, so I would assume it's regular hordes of naysayers, but better safe and stupid than sorry down the road.

Can I set up my desktop to have a random image from a specific directory everytime I reboot? Seems like it'd be ultra simple to code if it's not a part of the os, would just need a program that picked a random file in a directory and renamed it to a specific name and just throw it in startup. If it's not part of xp, is there a program freeware that I can get to do this like I described?

I have cable internet access (just two weeks ago, must be upgrade month ) The install guy came in plugged it in, and as far as I could tell did a ping or two and left. Will I need to call my cable company for any settings to have on hand before hand? ala numbers specific to my computer/connection.

Are there any 'hidden' features I should know about that are new to xp?

Is xp really going to cook, clean, and service me properly?

I think that's about all, thanks to anyone who can help me out.

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Remember it took three of you to kill me.
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saltfish

Lets see. ...without getting into specifics:

If you've been using ME, and you upgrade to XP you will feel like going from a Chevette to a Corvette!

When it comes to the random image display on boot, someone else is going to have to answer that one.

If you have a cable modem, the cable company will usually have a installation program on CD that they give you that will help you install the modem. Use that.

-SF

Pellaz

on the modem, nope. He literaly walked in the door, split the cable line, attached the modem via ethernet, sat down at the computer for 5 minutes (I saw the last 3 or so, that was 2 pings and changing outlook settings, pffft), said "sign here" and ran out the door.

__________________
" ' Big Mouth.
Remember it took three of you to kill me.
A god, a boy, and, last and least, a hero.' "

gmoot

XP can't do that natively that I know of, but personally I use this fine program:
http://www.ivory.org/panorama.html

The pictures don't even have to all be in the same directory. Just make a list of all the picture you want it to pick from and you can make it change randomly or in order at startup or at specified time intervals.

As for your other questions, I don't know off hand.

cheesemoney

I don't need any software for my cable modem.. chances are you don't need any either... Set your settings to obtain IP address automatically and you are ready to roll.

Kurant

There is nothing about XP that isn't better then ME in my experience. The only trouble I've had has been hardware/driver related, and with Internet Explorer. Spyware really seems to bog XP as well, keep Ad-Aware on hand.

As far as functionality and efficency, XP is far superior to any 98 Kernal OS out there.

You shouldn't need any software for your cable modem. XP configures on install with "Obtain IP Adress Automatically" and it should work on the very first boot.

Also, all 98 Kernals I believe are no longer supported by Microsoft, and the new PCI Express chipsets, along with the new Intel cores on their processers won't work with Windows 98 because they will be streamlines 32-bit processers, and will not work with 16-bit OS's.

It's a good change, enjoy it.

cheesemoney

I'd recommend a clean install. I actually upgraded an inherited machine from ME to XP and it really tainted my initial impression about XP. It was buggy as hell. Backed up essentials, formated for NTFS and reinstalled XP from scratch. Its working great a year later--on 24x7, with no repairs... just the normal tweaks/spybot/regfix maintnance.

merkerguitars

my recommendations for xp....
run at least 256mb of ram...512mb is recommended to make it run nice and smooth....

turn off system restore...doesn't work as well as it should......

turn off error reporting.....

adjust visual effects for best performance....

now you have a lean, mean os.

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soopafreek

the beauty of XP is that you won't have to reboot as often (or at all, if you take care of the machine).

as one who made the leap from ME to XP, i agree with the clean install route. trust me, once you go up to XP, you'll wish you'd done it sooner!

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aaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!!

Dragonlich

I have to disagree with Merkerguitars about system restore. It may not be perfect, but it has saved my computer from a re-install on many occasions. The error reporting can be ditched, as can the indexing service, and many other features. I suggest googling for "windows xp tweaks" or something - that'll get you started.

With cable modems, you generally only have to set the network card to obtain an IP and DNS automatically. Do turn off file/printer sharing on that card, though - it's a security hole.

Privacy and XP: you have to register your copy with Microsoft if you want to use it for more than 30 days. Well, if it's an official version anyway. That's the main privacy problem: the computer sends a code (based on it's hardware) to MS, which then sends you an activation code back. Now, the privacy advocates asked: what else is being send to MS, huh??? Then there's error reporting, which sends data to MS too (but asks you before it does), automatic updates (which is set to download without asking you, but asks if you want to install. Can be changed, though), and probably many others.

And one of the hidden features: the blaster worm... Either get yourself a patched installation CD, a patch on a disk (download it from MS, while still using winME), or install a firewall *before* plugging in the cable modem. If you just go with the flow, you'll most likely end up with a really annoying system: "shutting down in 30 seconds" just after startup.

hrdwareguy

Technically, registration is optional. The software does have to be activated in this way. They are 2 different things. The activation code is a one way hash of hardware serials that are on your system.

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Holo

My 2 cents:

Never use a windows OS that does not contain the numbers 2, 0, and 0 somewhere in the name. I personally use win2000 on my headless and 2003 on this machine. You can get 2003 free for 6 months as an eval.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003

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I happen to like the words "fuck", "cock", "pussy", "tits", "cunt", "twat", "shit" and even "bitch". As long as I am not using them to describe you, don't go telling me whether or not I can/should use them...that is, if you want me to continue refraining from using them to describe you. ~Prince

the_marq

You can turn that crap off? Where?

goes poking around the control panel to look...

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#3 in a series

soopafreek

see below...

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aaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!!

soopafreek

right click on "my computer" > properties > advanced tab.... error reporting

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aaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!!

mikec

another way to turn off error reporting....for good!

start, run, services.msc

stop the error reporting service, then change it to disabled, voila!

if you're not using wireless, do the same to the wireless configuration service....and unless you're on a corporate network, do the same to the messenger service.

if you're gonna use xp, there are a few powertoys that are awesome, tweakUI and task switcher are cool..
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/p.../powertoys.asp

your cable connection should be seamless when you install. as long as you don't need username/password to connect (like DSL lines do), you should have no issue.....the only possibility is if you have a NIC that XP doesn't have drivers for, in which case you just install them and you're set.

Glad to see you're makin' the move to XP. A lot of good advice in this thread. The one to heed most is RAM. Once you load XP, antivirus and other assorted goodies, you'll need a bare minimum 256, with 512 being the sweet spot, unless you're into editing or photoshop, in which case a gig might be more up your alley.

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Pellaz

Thanks for all the responses so far.

My copy of XP is on it's way, so 2000/3 isn't an option.

I turn my computer off more than the avg user, due to the fact that if nothing else is on the noise annoys me. (now if I could just do that to the refridgerator...), which is why I'm keen on the random desktop for boot. Thanks for the link, gmoot, I will give it a shot, although it looks like it runs constantly, and I'm looking for something that will just run once and stop.

The privacy stuff is basicaly what I assumed, but wanted to double check it. Thanks for the heads up on patching for blaster before plugging in, will do.

I'm planning on doing a clean install already, which is one of the main reasons I'm trying to get things cleared up before I plunge in. This is one of the main reasons I'm finaly upgrading, because due to some factory foul up I don't have a recovery disk of any sort, and have had several times when for various reasons wanted to reformat (mostly out of laziness)

__________________
" ' Big Mouth.
Remember it took three of you to kill me.
A god, a boy, and, last and least, a hero.' "

mikec

forgot about your desktop stuff.....style xp, http://www.tgtsoft.com/ is awesome for changing the look of your desktop, and though I never used the feature, I'm pretty sure that you can have it go through random themes, backgrounds upon startup.

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Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality

Holo

Well if you're stuck with XP at least trim your services with the guides at www.blackviper.com. I got 2003 down to using 69MB at startup after trimming the services.

__________________
I happen to like the words "fuck", "cock", "pussy", "tits", "cunt", "twat", "shit" and even "bitch". As long as I am not using them to describe you, don't go telling me whether or not I can/should use them...that is, if you want me to continue refraining from using them to describe you. ~Prince

bltzkriegmcanon

Excellent, excellent suggestion. Everytime I reformat and install XP, this is one of the first things I download. That and the following:

AIM
SP1
Winamp
Ad-aware
Spybot
Spyblaster
Google Toolbar
Norton Anti-Virus
Divx
Defilerpak
Java from Sun.com
Azureus

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Pellaz

Well, I sit here now with an oem xp newly arrived (Thanks nameless ebay store, for the super slow shipping). I'm planning on doing a clean install this evening, after a trip to the store and a few other things. I've got a last minute question, though, if anyone can help:

Partition or no partition? 40 gb HD

Thanks for all the great info, guys!

__________________
" ' Big Mouth.
Remember it took three of you to kill me.
A god, a boy, and, last and least, a hero.' "

soopafreek

you're going to get the yes and no answers from this group...

if you do decide to partition, just a word of advice.... make your OS partition 5GB or bigger.

even though XP will fit in a smaller partition, be aware that there are patches and updates (lots of 'em) from microsoft. there'll probably be about 40 needed right from the get-go.

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aaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!!