windows help

[LastKnight]

ok firstoff, im lookin for help, i know you think macs and linux are better, but can we put that behind us for now and see if we can get the problem fixed?

anyway, i tried to log on to my windows account today and it told me that it couldnt load my environment. when it finially does load up its almost like firstboot. some of my programs are here, some arent. none of my quicklaunch items are here, and none of my bookmarks ect... any idea how i can recover this stuff?

thanks in advance

-LK

[hobbit709]

1. windoze help

What version are you using?

[LastKnight]

2. doh, sorry. xp pro. nt

[salvorhardin]

3. can you give the exact error message?

[LastKnight]

4. it had the error message with a countdown, i saw it at the end of it.

and then it went into loading windows as it would the first time you started up the computer. something about my environment being damaged or lost, the main thing i wanna get back is my bookmarks. the rest i can set up again.

-LK

[salvorhardin]

5. That should be easy enough

Open 'My Computer'
Browse to C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\
There should be a folder in there called Favorites (I'm assuming you're using Internet Explorer... you didn't say)
Copy the Favorites folder to a floppy or CD or whatever

When you get your computer set up again you can just copy your saved Favorites folder on top of the one Windows created and all your old bookmarks will be there.

[salvorhardin]

6. oh... and...

this wouldn't happen in Linux. :-)

[Radius]

7. Good advice

but i'm sure she would have a fine time trying to find drivers for her sound card and any other stuff linux didn't detect.

I wonder what killed her profile? Hopefully she is running current AV. My xp machine has been happy with no problems for a year now.

Unix is not quite ready for mass marketing. Apple has a nice front end on bsd but still some work to do before linux is user friendly.

[salvorhardin]

8. Just poking fun :-)

Linux isn't for everybody and I doubt it will ever be. I use several different flavors and versions of Linux as well as Win XP Pro. I'd love a powerbook, but can't afford it. As a computing and internet professional, I love the power and configurability of Linux, but not everyone wants that. Also, unlike a lot of Linux zealots I readily admit that Microsoft has a pretty good product in Windows XP. Heck, the Windows NT technology that XP is based on is in many ways a modern reimplmentation of DEC Vax VMS, perhaps my all-time favorite OS. I have plenty to carp about with both Linux and Windows as well.

Windows XP caches the user environment and there are several different things that could cause XP to not fully write the user environment on shutdown or corrupt it entirely. Fixing that is rather detailed and not something I'd want to give instructions for on an internet message board and without knowing exactly what was reported it's possible any advice I gave could cause more damage.

By the way, driver issues except on laptops, are pretty much a thing of the past on most modern Linux distributions. Try out Knoppix sometime. You'll be amazed.

Also, Mac OS X is much more than a pretty front end on Free BSD.

[Radius]

9. Agree

Mac has a winner in the power5. Not the same power chip used in the p machines I work with, it is impressive. Nice os.

W2k is a pretty good server OS on the cheap and is pretty easy to maintain. Non proprietary hardware is a big plus. We use Compaq DL380's and ML5xx, the best x86 machines I have ever used. Using AD to manage lots of desktops with policies and software deployment tools has really simplified desktop land.

Personally I think 90% of end users could do their job on a thin client. Easy, secure, cheap.

However when it comes to critical data processing and sheer power nothing beats unix, well MVS on z machines but they are expensive all the way around..

Your advice was spot on.