Remembering the good times
Posted on 01/21/2022 12:58:18 PM PST by dayglored
[Dayglored note: This is about an "Insider" build, not the version most users get. The "Insider" releases are for developers and eager-beaver Windows fanbois who want to try things before they're done, knowing they might break.]
Is nothing safe from the dead hand of the Windows 11 design aesthetic?
Windows' murderous Task Manager looks set to get a makeover in Windows 11 after a work-in-progress turned up in the latest Insider Dev Channel build.
Remembering the good times
The build, 22538, is an otherwise relatively mundane emission from the Windows team.
Sure, there was great excitement among the community when the volume control that harked back to the days of Windows 8 was ditched in favour of something a bit more in keeping with the world of Windows 11 (you can now change the volume using your mouse or touchpad). But Task Manager has so far retained its last redesign, and still looks like a throwback to Windows of yesteryear.
That's assuming users can actually find it. Infamously, Microsoft removed the familiar right-click-on-the-taskbar approach of old for Windows 11 and adopted a slightly odd right-click-on-the-start-button method instead.
The original Task Manager was a utility developed by former Microsoft programmer Dave Plummer and first turned up in Windows NT 4. "Task Manager is," said Plummer, "quite frankly, a natural born killer."
Or at least it was, until the poor thing was defanged as Windows evolved. Its inability to be quite as murderous these days as Plummer had originally intended has led to gnashing of teeth by administrators and a "You were supposed to kill the Not Responding Tasks, not join them" meme.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.com ...
I generally use TM more for system performance monitoring than for killing hung processes -- one thing MS has done in the last few years is improve process stability, and I really have to try to make something spit up blood and fall over.
When a program locks up, I use Ctrl+Alt+Delete and choose Task Manager from that menu.
Just had to use it when I was looking at some Forbes click-bait ads and there was cross-scripting that went to a scam page that locked everything up, said I had a Trojan virus and told me that I should call a number to Microsoft to get my computer operating again and if I didn’t it would be the end of my computer world including identity theft!!
Didn’t fall for it (the number would probably take me to someone who said they could fix it if I gave them a credit card number.) Instead, used Task Manager to shut down the browser page and just as a precaution, started my anti-virus program scan. Still scanning but so far nothing and browser working fine. BTW, I use One Drive backup for my files so not too afraid of losing data, accidentally or intentionally by a scammer.
I just checked their sit. Nice hardware but it only runs 32-bit Win-7 OS. I need 64-bit Win-7 Pro stuff. I’ll have to call them and see what they can do, if I ever run into a problem. Thanks for the lead to their site, MM.
Scan finished, everything fine......................
“or Linux compatible drivers.”
What Linux? When was the last time you tried? At some point it is advantageous to upgrade hardware that is obsolete so that Linux can and will support it. About every new printer sold is now supported supported by Linux. Holding on to obsolete hardware and being forced to stay with Windows because of that obsolete hardware is foolish.
As for apps, Of course they would be new to you and have a mild learning curve, but there is an alternative app for everything for windows now. MS games are the only hangup. While there are similar alternatives for Linux, they are not of course going to be the exact same. They can’t because of copyright, patent, and trademark. But some will run on Linux using Wine and “play on Linux” or get them at steam which have been ported for linux. I have had pretty fair luck doing this. Even running 32 bit Windows games on 64 bit Linux machines. Same with Apps...
I used to run Caligari Truespace in Windows 7 on VirtualBox.
I’ve been trying to learn Blender, which is much more capable. Even bought a new 8 core Dell with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER with 8 gig. I can tell you the GPU is worth about 3 times what I paid when I ordered the machine from Dell.
I am running on Linux Mint 20.3.
It is a Xerox Phaser 6125 color laser.
Drivers exist for the 6120 and the 6130, but nothing — Linux or Windows10 — for the 6125.
I tried the ‘alternatives’ and ‘suggestions’ and they don’t work.
Just another reason why I still run Windows 7.
“Linux CUPS Printing Package”
Official xerox support. Probably comes as a compressed Tar file, just move it to your CUPS folder and expand it. The Linux will find it when needed. CUPS is where all printer drivers go so that Linux can find them.
https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us/product/phaser-6200/downloads
You mean Nixsys? Did you go to their “Legacy” section?
https://nixsys.com/legacy-computers/windows-7-computers
The one I’m looking at gives these options to choose from:
No Windows Operating System Installed - + $0.00
MS Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3 (supports max 4GB RAM) - + $195.00
MS Windows 7 Professional 32-bit (supports max 4GB RAM) - + $185.00
MS Windows 7 Professional 64-bit - + $185.00
Even Xerox support & drivers returns “No results for phaser6125”.
Believe me, I have searched for years. Many support forums of all kinds have phaser6125 owners trying to find drivers. The phaser6125 was apparently an el-cheapo special production with no support beyond Win7.
I wonder if the superior alternative Process Explorer from Sysinternals will still work. It’s easy better anyway, and up through WX at least, you can configure it to stand in for Task Mangler.
Oh good, it still works. I was wondering that very thing.
something I have found. Manufacturers use the saem driver though several different models. In fact Linux “Generic” Drivers drive just about everything. I will bet that the link I gave you for the 6200 series “Package” will also drive the 6100 series.
And again... If you can’t even find Windows drivers for it then it is an obsolete dinosaur and ready for the trash bin. Time for a new one so that you can move on and update.
Ah-ha, I see that detail specs page now. They DO have 64-bit OS for Win-7 Pro. Thanks.
The one I was looking at was:
https://nixsys.com/legacy-computers/windows-7-computers
Not to demean your enthusiasm, but no, it is far more than a mild learning curve if you do more than just browsing and word processing and engage in much customization. You cannot even just right click on an program icon and find the location as in Windows... If you do not know why I would want to do this it may be because you do not engage in much customization.
" but there is an alternative app for everything for windows now. "
No, especially as comparable in functionality, unless you mean just those that come with Windows. If there was I might have switched to Linux, but there is presently no sense to it, for me. Show me an comparable alternative to AutoHotKey for one. Then there are the over 200 tweaks available in in Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4 for Windows 10 From the Windows club. Add to this Winaero features of the Winaero Tweaker
Then there is Right-Click Extender (add items to many right click menus) , and T-Clock Redux and Classic Shell, now called Open Shell (https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/archive/master.zip)
But Firefox and Libre Office are excellent programs that work in both systems.
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