Re: Windows 7

The message <op5di5hv9te9bsrh4srd5bsju2ub3fbe5f@xxxxxxx>
from Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> contains these words:

On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:15:00 GMT, Johnny B Good
<jcs.computersbutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The message <dgcci5lus7v4s133u6lnsr4e5uqnt8n434@xxxxxxx>
from Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> contains these
words:
On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:47:07 GMT, Johnny B Good
<jcs.computersbutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The message <9g4ci5lt6lhfmqv3lb3d24190254luo9o8@xxxxxxx>
from Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> contains these
words:

On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:05:10 GMT, Johnny B Good
<jcs.computersbutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I've relocated my 'Desktop' folder, but it's a rather tedious
business
involving a whole bunch of registry changes. You'd think there'd be a
suitable utility to automate this process by now (and there
well might
be one by now - I just haven't searched for one) but it seems
unlikely
one would be forthcoming for such an esoteric need.

TweakUI will do it in one go.

Are you sure it will do _that_?

Yup. Since maybe 2003 I've used TweakUI to repoint My Docs, Desktop,
Favorites (sic), and SendTo over to another drive - the latter three
as folders within My Documents (or D:\JaimieDocs\ as it really is).

I've googled and found a reference to ver 1.33 for win2k and the later
version 2.10 which seems to be for winXP/server 2003 but not, by
implication, for win2k.

That's right - 1.33 is the one to have for Win2000, I still keep a
copy of it in my software tree. It does exactly what I said it does,
plus other folders besides. It's in the "My Computer" tab.

Ok, I missed it the first time around. I've re-installed it and clicked
the dropdown list.

1.33 works in XP as well, btw. I'd completely forgotten that it was a
control panel applet back then - apologies for that, mea culpa.

That's ok. I figured that's where it must have landed up when I
couldn't see a link in the usual places. Looking at what it can do, I
think that's the most appropriate place. I dragged a shortcut onto the
desktop but after taking a more in depth look, decided that that wasn't
a good idea.

Add/Remove uninstalls 1.33 correctly here, btw - but that's in an XP
machine, which may be different.

Quite possibly my hand rolled custom rearrangement of system folders
might have had something to do with that. In any case, it's quite easy
peasy to manually do what the uninstall routine failed to do so I'm not
too bothered about that minor glitch.

It doesn't help one bit that I haven't been able to find a
comprehensive list of all of its features to check whether it's even
worth bothering with. The only reason I know that a version of tweakui
offers this facility at all is from your post.

Even the help file doesn't detail which folders it can move. So I
will:

Common Program Files
Desktop
Document Templates
Favorites
Installation Path
My Documents
My Music
My Pictures
My Video
Program Files
Programs
Recent Documents
Send To
Start Menu
Startup

Some of those I don't know (or care) what they are; one or two of the
others look like they'll cause a world of pain if you dick with them.

Thanks Jamie. That list conforms to what I found in the dropdown in the
My Computer tab, a dropdown I neglected to, well, er dropdown on my
first looksee :-(

I agree with you on the inherent dangers with some of those options.
I'd already relocated the My Pictures and Desktop folders the 'hard way'
a few years ago. The My Documents move is a piece of piss to do without
using TweakUI, it was the other folders that were the difficult ones to
shift.

I'm tempted to relocate the Program Files folder but I suspect I'd have
to duplicate the existing drive C folder first to maintain continuity. I
suspect I'll hit the access denied error with a few of those files.
However, there's always a Knoppix boot session to deal with that sort of
problem if needs must. ;-)

Rather than risk my own box, I think I'll experiment on a test box
first. That'll give me a chance to get the feel of how Tweakui actually
deals with such relocations.

Incidently, the shortcut icon manipulations don't impress me,
particularly the counterproductive option to remove the little arrow.
For some reason, this option seemed to be the most attractive to the
uninitiated and I found such 'tweaked' systems really annoying to work
with when trying to distinguish desktop shortcuts from misplaced
downloads of various installers the user had accumulated over the years.

The desktop is no place to _keep_ such files in permanent storage. I
think one of the reasons for this is down to the advice often given in
regard of downloading a file from an internet source where the desktop
is suggested as first choice without adding the rider that it aught to
be moved to a better location afterwards. I think this stems from the
fact that in IE, a download doesn't start until _after_ you've selected
an appropriate destination folder so the time saved in using the desktop
as a destination becomes a significant consideration.

If you're using Opera to gather downloads, this stops being an issue
since it starts the download the moment you've chosen the save option
but haven't yet decided on the target folder (or even its very
existence!). You can afford to take the time to pick your 'spot' or even
create a new folder and another folder within that if required to create
a logically defined location in the FS within which to store your
download(s).

This is how I deal with MoBo driver downloads, creating an appropritely
named folder within which I'd typically have folders named BIOS,
Chipset, VGA, Sound, LAN and any other folders deemed necessary. For
example:

"G:\General downloads\J\Jetway\V600DAP\BIOS"

is the path to the BIOS flash utility and rom image files for the
V600DAP Jetway board I'm currently using in this win2k box.

When the filename of the download rarely gives you any clue as to which
motherboard or device it belongs to, you can't afford to let it get it
muddled up with similar files for other motherboards so it pays you to
avoid using the desktop (even if only as a halfway house) for this sort
of 'shit'.

I've accumulated over 60GB's worth of downloads in that General
downloads folder over the last decade so it has to be highly organised
if I want to retain any hope of ever finding them again.

A desktop cluttered up with downloaded files has never struck me as
pretty yet this is an all too common sight on a lot of the systems
brought in to me for repair. IME, there does seem to be some correlation
between the state of the desktop and the amount of malware that has
taken residence.

I suppose the user who does take some pride in keeping their desktop
clear of random downloads is someone who is paying attention and
therefore more likely to spot the effects of malware and deal with it in
a timely fashion before it all gets totally out of hand.

Anyway. getting back on topic, when you see a desktop full of arrowless
icons you just know that yet another clueless user has got his hands on
the Tweakui utility and 'Did Something Cool' (and probably a few other
things besides to make life difficult). I think this above all else is
why I've regarded Tweakui with some disdain. It's like giving kids
sticks of dynamite to play with on Bonfire Night.

--
Regards, John.

Please remove the "ohggcyht" before replying.
The address has been munged to reject Spam-bots.

.

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