Broken Windows Part 3
As I reported to Roger et al, the Windows XP Pro/SQL Server 2005 system that is part of my Windows XP Embedded kit now also has the debugger window BUG. And the only thing that happened was that I updated accidentally the system by connecting it indirectly to the Internet by way of the corporate network. I don't even get on the Internet with the system since I'm so paranoid (with due cause) about what will happen to it if it gets virus or Trojan infected.
So let that be a lesson. If you don't want it to update you HAVE to have it disconnected from the network completely, there can be NO routes possible. The system did NOT have a gateway address programmed into it and it was manually programmed, no DHCP. Just consider Windows Update a gray-hat Trojan. I'm not willing to think of it as a white hat after what has happened to it after downloading and installing Windows Updates on it.
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My Windows 7 adventures today are somewhat small and uneventful. Most of the software to match what's on the XP Pro partition has been installed. I did find some interesting issues pop-up.
The UAC (User Access Control) function gets a little complicated when the Windows 7 system is joined to a AD domain. I'm not an admin on the AD domain. (That's just fine with me, I don't want to have to mess with that can of worms!) I'm a somewhat privileged user maybe what would have been called a PowerUser if AD had that kind of user.
I had to program my domain user name onto the local domain (the computer itself) as a local admin. Then every time I installed software I had to allow it to continue by using my local user name and password (I'm the local admin) and then my AD domain user name and password (where I am not an admin). Somewhat odd. I do not know if that is normal with Visaster or not since I couldn't stomach either of the two Visaster Betas and I refused to use it until the IT guy forced me to recently.
In any case the only software I was not able to install using that dodge was Trend Micro's AV software,. It insisted on my being an admin even though I was, the install program would not pop open the username and password box(s) to allow me to "log-on".
Win 7 seems to have generated far fewer "virtual folders" and other annoying artifacts than Visaster did in the "Explorer" window.
The desktop Gizmos seem to have disappeared. I thought I was lucky that they didn't pop-out of the desktop like they did on Visaster.
The Beta (Siamese fighting fish) that might be a mascot came back to visit again so it seems as if that's hard coded into the setup routines. It would be interesting if they picked a background at random each time the install began or maybe do a slide show of backgrounds. Just a suggestion.
Win 7 installation yesterday took a little longer than XP Pro only because I had to burn a CD from an ISO I downloaded a couple months back first. I discovered that the Nero software that came with the systems DVD-R/RW drive doesn't do ISO's! What! I've gotten so used to Linux I was really cheesed when I remembered you couldn't just mount the damn ISO and go on. So I downloaded Infra-Record at http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 It worked great and took less time than Nero does at home so guess what is going on my home Windows XP Pro box?
Today I had to burn another CD to install another piece of software so Infra-Record got a second run and its a joy to use.
One thing interesting occurred yesterday after installation was finished when the system came up running. Win 7 had the proper driver for the Nvidia dual port XVGA board installed in the PCI-Express socket. AND it came up in extended desktop mode with the 2 LCD monitors resolution and orientation set properly! Nice. I was definitely impressed when I realized what had happened. One monitor is "panavision" aspect 1600 x 1050 and the other is normal "tv" 1280 x 1024. XP Pro took manual intervention and about 5 minutes of puttering around to make it work right. Visaster? Who cares?
Haven't had a chance to do anything substantial with Windows 7 just yet but the UI seems to be running without any obvious issues.