Need some computer help from Coumpter folks.

[grayfox1119]

MS has made some updates to IE7 since the first release, so those who are having some trouble with it "might" have the earlier release. Just a thought. Check the MS IE website for latest info.

[BMRR]

I downloaded IE 7,works fine for me. In fact I like it better than the old one.

Stan.

[grayfox1119]

Mark, thank you for bringing some real good info to this thread. I have been using IE7 since June, and Beta 2 version of Vista, now RC-1 until the final version is released real soon. I have been part of the Microsoft " Friend & Family" beta test program. I have been feeding back info to MS on any issues or problems that have arisen.

I had previously used 98 2nd ed, and later Me which really stunk, very unstable, with many crashes. Later I installed Xp, and this has been the finest and most stable OS for home computers ever, not a single crash in the 3 years that I ran it.

Obviously, when you have 90% of the OS market, your product is going to be #1 to get attacked if there are any flaws in your program, and in Microsoft's case, there were plenty.

Now, Firefox has been hit and Mozzila is looking into a fix, so as you can see, as your market share grows, so does that target on your back.

As for the various problems that I read in the thread replies, here is what I recommend PC users consider to help their system run faster:

1. Get as much RAM as you can afford. For Vista, you are going to need 512MB minimum. Why is RAM so important? Because Random Access Memory is where your programs get run, and if you do not have enough RAM, your computer need to shifts things back and forth from your Hard Drive (HD) and that takes time ( slows the system down ).

2. Get a good Anti-Virus program and keep it updated.

3. Get a large Hard Drive, two if you can afford it, as Jeff does, one for OS and one for Programs, Data and backups.

4. Get a program like Zone Alarm .

If your system is running slow, have you done a Defrag yet? Have you looked at your STARTUP menu to see what programs are being loaded that you really don't need for startup and can be removed?

Remember, MS has stopped updating Windows 98 and Me, so you are on your own now. At least update to Xp which is a very good OS. Change is happening and you cannot stop it, so don't be waving at the Caboose when the last train leaves.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Disable Windows update.

[SteamFreak]

It works Ken. I would just be sure to hide IE7 on your Windows Update page so that it doesn't try to install itself again.

Nelson

[cudaken]

 Well I am typing in the big box again. Uninstalling did the trick. Will be a lot more carefull about Mr Gates thinks I need.

 Here is a test to see if it is working right again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURWYEj4lgo&NR

                                       Cuda Ken

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I canh understand how people are having trouble posting pics with IE7, it's junk. But I can't understand how they can be having the same trouble with IE6. I use it and I never had any problems posting pics. As for Windows 98 slowing a computer down, bull. I use 98 on mine with a 2.2 gig processor and it runs circles ariund my mothers computer which has a larger processor and Windows XP. It pokes along.

[SteamFreak]

Mark Scudder,

I just took a look at your website, and was pleasantly surprised - your music is fantastic!  A refreshing point of view as well. I think I'll be ordering a copy of "Don't Wait." "Glory Be" reminds me a bit of Karnataka, if you know who they are. I guess this is off topic, but I wanted to give you a plug.

Nelson

P.S. I prefer Maxthon.

[NeO6874]

So, the problem is not with IE7.  If you're having problems on this forum, it's because the person/people who designed it were using IE6 to check their work.  They have made an IE6-only site (something that, in all fairness, you used to be able to get away with), and they need to go back and correct the programming mistakes because IE7 is here, it's not going away, and to the delight of web designers like me, it renders HTML correctly.

Thats not entirely the case. I run FF, and everything displays here fine.  Assuming that FF follows the HTML standards more closely then MS did, there's nothing (ar at most, very little) wrong with this site.  The main problem that people have had is that IE7 will add HTML code to the image tags, or it will replace the BB code used for posting images to this site with HTML, thus "breaking" the site.  However, this only appears to be an issue if one was to post an image, as opposed to viewing images that others have posted here.

[Anonymous]

I was shown this thread by my dad who is a member here.  I hope you'll allow me to shed some light...

I am a web designer.  I do not use Internet Explorer unless I absolutely have to (I use Firefox if you're curious).  IE has for a long time been a source of problems because Microsoft chooses to let the computer illiterate (that's an observation, not judgement) dictate what one can do with a browser.

See, over the last five years or so, IE became sort of a mini "operating system" in and of itself.  Not content with just viewing webpages, Mom wants to play Mahjonng, Dad wants to see realtime stock movements, and junior and sis want to play videos and surf MySpace and play action games right in the browser.

In order to do that, IE has to let websites install software on your browser.  You've seen these things - they're usually called ActiveX controls.  Thing is, most computer-illiterate users will click "yes" to practically anything that is shown to them, and this is why we have spyware, malware, adware, and whatever you want to call it.

I remember when there were computer viruses - notice how you don't really see them anymore in their usual form?  That should tell you how much easier Microsoft has made virus authors' lives.  They don't need to write viruses; they just need to exploit the "open" nature of IE.

What does this have to do with IE7?  Well, in a nutshell, Microsoft got a big surprise a couple years back when Firefox started taking their almost-monopolistic market share.  While Firefox hasn't broken 20% of web users, that's a lot to a company that was expecting near-100%.  As usual, nothing ever changes until someone's bottom line is affected, so Microsoft responded with IE7.  Overall, it looks like it's going to be a decent browser, because they've put in a lot of safeguards to prevent spyware et al from being so easily installed and IE being so easily compromised.  If you're not going to run Firefox, Opera, or one of the other alternate browsers, you should definitely install IE7.

As to the problems with IE7 you're experiencing - believe it or not you've got it backwards.  IE7 actually displays HTML (web code) correctly; the problem is that IE6 and below didn't - so a lot of web designers who use IE designed "broken" sites because they were checking their work in IE.  The people in charge of what HTML is have published a "standard" as to how HTML works, and Microsoft for a large part ignored that.  They got it half-right, but you should see what kind of a pain it is to make a website that works in all different browsers because of the incorrect way IE has handled webpages.  Granted this is Microsoft's fault from the get-go, and somebody oughta hang for it, but let's face it, it's Microsoft, they're going to do what they're going to do.  In that sort of situation, I figure, better late than never.

So, the problem is not with IE7.  If you're having problems on this forum, it's because the person/people who designed it were using IE6 to check their work.  They have made an IE6-only site (something that, in all fairness, you used to be able to get away with), and they need to go back and correct the programming mistakes because IE7 is here, it's not going away, and to the delight of web designers like me, it renders HTML correctly.

If you can't understand where I'm coming from, imagine (and forgive my analogy, I'm not a train guy) if 80% of your trains ran one way and 20% ran the opposite way and whenever you had to make a layout, you had to make sure that all of the trains could use all of the track all of the time, without collisions or traffic problems.  IE was that 80% of your trains that was going the wrong way, however it's human nature to side with the majority even if they're wrong.   IE7 goes the right way, but you've gotta tell the guy who's running the layout.

As for the HP software, it's broken because HP (stupidly) chose to write their software so that it uses Internet Explorer to display its screens.  Since they were sure everyone who would run it would be running it on IE, they were able to make extra-sloppy code, and frankly I'm not surprised it doesn't work under IE7.  HP may at some point realize this and correct their mistake, but I warn you: Microsoft has finally done something right.  However, like lowering the drinking age, there's no way to do something like this without causing some headaches in the short term.  While I'm still going to use Firefox, I think IE7 is the best thing to happen to the web in years and it's going to make my life so much easier.  I ask you to think about this before blaming the wrong things.

Thanks -
Mark Scudder
http://www.markscudder.com

[NeO6874]

Windows 98? Well, it depends on what you're using your computer for.

In my case I do a lot of graphic intensive DVD video stuff, and the vendors of this software *require* you have XP SP2 and at least a 2.8MHz processor with 1GB of memory.

windows XP will run on 2.8 MHz Joe!? LOL!

i'm pretty sure you meant GHz

Well you know how it goes, the glitch in the system is located between the monitor and the keyboard ...

Yes, GHz.

LOL, yep.. i see a lot of problems with the interface between the chair and the keyboard @ my job.  I work for the IS dept @ my college... it's a nightmare what some of the people do to their computers...and then have the audacity to expect us to fix it in 3 hours when there is 30-something computers sitting on the table before they even showed up...*sigh*

although, if you did get XP to run on a 2.8 MHz machine...

[SteamFreak]

Windows 98? Well, it depends on what you're using your computer for.

In my case I do a lot of graphic intensive DVD video stuff, and the vendors of this software *require* you have XP SP2 and at least a 2.8MHz processor with 1GB of memory.

windows XP will run on 2.8 MHz Joe!? LOL!

i'm pretty sure you meant GHz

Well you know how it goes, the glitch in the system is located between the monitor and the keyboard ...

Yes, GHz.

Joe,

Always be grateful for that edit feature!

(Unless, of course, someone else notices it first.)

Nelson

[jfugate]

Windows 98? Well, it depends on what you're using your computer for.

In my case I do a lot of graphic intensive DVD video stuff, and the vendors of this software *require* you have XP SP2 and at least a 2.8MHz processor with 1GB of memory.

windows XP will run on 2.8 MHz Joe!? LOL!

i'm pretty sure you meant GHz

Well you know how it goes, the glitch in the system is located between the monitor and the keyboard ...

Yes, GHz.

[cudaken]

Well, I am typing in the small box again. :-( First let me say thanks for all the answers, I am happy to know I did not mess anything up on the keyboard thingie.

I will be dumping IE 7.0 very soon. I wounder if I can post PIC? I was trying to help someone to post pic and sent my photo bucket address. He still could not post from my bucket. I saw IE listed from people that where trying to help but being Keybaod Dumb did not know what it stood for.

I all so trired to post some links to some great train videos but did not show up as a link? Guess that is it.

As far as XP Pro, it has the SP 1 and 2's. But I never wanted it. Computer friend installed a Teck version he burned (MS cannot tell it was not bought from them) because he said Windows 98 was making my computer run slow?

My computer was a computer show mistake at first. Only thing left in it that came with it is a wester 40 gig hard drive, floppy port and the case.

It now has Pentium IV 2.40 GHz and 533-MHz front side bus, Intel D850EMV2 mother board, Samsung 522 RD Ram, not SDDR (spell check ) G-Force 440 video card.

Funny thing was 4 years ago when I bought the other stuff I listed clerk was impressed with what I bought. I think the mother board was $200.00 or so and IV 2.40 GHz was around the same. Each stick was $125.00, but it still around the same cost the last time I checked Egg Head . Com.

Thanks again, Cuda Ken

[dinwitty]

just use WinXP with Sp2. nothing more, no updates,  If  you need to update, do security updates only., dont autoupdate.

be sure you use a firewall on the net. You don't have to use MS's version, nab some good freebie firewall that updates  occasionally.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

And people wonder why I still use Windows98 SE w/sp1? Could it be because IE7 is such a screwed up piece of * that I won't give it the time of day? Quite possibly! I will continue to use W98 until I can no longer find drivers for it. At the rate things are going, a lot of people are coming back to W98.

Jeffrey is right.
I am using an edition of W98 called  W98 Lite Pro.
A freind of mine who does all my PC work and is also a PC and IT specialist says stay away from IE 7 and I was going to get a new Dell PC, and he also said don't even think about Windows Vista, it will be at least a year before they get the bugs out of it.
This edition of W98 I have gets rid of most of the junk Microsft loads into a machine.
It's an old 400 Mhz machine with an AMD K63 processor, and runs at about  800Mhz performance wise.
Basically my PC is just over 8 years old, still running fine.
Why mess it up?

Ed

Ed: The system I'm using is one I built myself. It has a Gigabyte gold board with an AMD 2.2Gig Dual core processor and 8 gigs of RAM. I use 2 WD 80Gig hard drives, 1 for the OS and the other for data storage and backup. I'm using a Marvell Yukon 10/100/1000 Network adapter through a cable modem. I think about a web site, I'm there!

[NeO6874]

Windows 98? Well, it depends on what you're using your computer for.

In my case I do a lot of graphic intensive DVD video stuff, and the vendors of this software *require* you have XP SP2 and at least a 2.8MHz processor with 1GB of memory.

windows XP will run on 2.8 MHz Joe!? LOL!

i'm pretty sure you meant GHz

[jeffshultz]

I've got three systems at home... my server and main workstation runs Linux (currently SuSE 10.). The system I set up for my wife (who uses my Linux box more often anyway) is Windows2k. 
My laptop is also Win2k (basically because I can't get Java + serial ports figured out under Linux for Decoder Pro).

There is very little I need to do that I can't get done with that combination... but yeah, I've found some stuff that requires WinXP. Oh well. Guess those people don't get my money.

Oh - I run Firefox on all of them.

[jfugate]

Windows 98? Well, it depends on what you're using your computer for.

In my case I do a lot of graphic intensive DVD video stuff, and the vendors of this software *require* you have XP SP2 and at least a 2.8GHz processor with 1GB of memory.

Windows 98 would just fall over in a heap if I tried to use it for this kind of work. If all you're doing is email and word processing documents, then yes, you can get by with Windows 98. But as time goes on, you will find your internet browsing experience is going to suffer, especially as web 2.0 and AJAX gains in popularity (for you web techies out there who know what this means -- for non-techies it means you will need the latest browsers and OS, sorry but progress waits on no one as they say).

[pro_crip]

MS is not perfect.  But, they are 99.99% responsible for all of us being able to be here, and the web even being here, too.

no, they aren't. The web started out as a darpa project to keep all the labs in the country linked up in case mutually assured destruction didn't hold any more water and so on and so forth. They have come up with nothing original of their own. Ms-dos was ripped off from digital research, windows is a very very pale imitation of mac os and so on and so forth. The only thing bill gates needs to be congratulated for is having a mother who worked at ibm.

[Anonymous]

Interesting how people crucify Microsoft because other people's software won't work with the newer MS releases.  That is why they do Beta releases, so the other software firms can upgrade their interfaces.  Kinda like being mad at Chevy because Goodyear's 14" tires don't fit anymore.  But, if one checks low and behold, Goodyear has 15", 16" , 17" ...ad infinitum size tires.

If your support software doesn't work, check their site for upgrades and then call them.

MS is not perfect.  But, they are 99.99% responsible for all of us being able to be here, and the web even being here, too.

I am not crucifying microsoft either, Just displaying my dislike of a more complicated time thanks to them. Bill gates is a marketing genious and knows who to hire to get the job done. Unfortunitly it was not microsoft who is responsible for the internet conturary to popular belief.

We have the government to thank for that. They were using the phone lines as early as the 50's to send information back and forth between base's and other instaltaions. But It wasnt until the mid to late 80's when the technology was declassified that a lovly company called Prodigy, which was devoloped by gamers, Brought full use of what we now know as the internet in to existiance. The internet was originaly a way to share files and play games, not unlike today. But the big difference came to be when Microsoft bought Prodigy in around 94 that microsoft became the leader in internet service. It is true that bill has made the computer and its programs available to the world at affordiable prices.

But I for one mis the simpler times when the computer as well as the phone were used as a tool and were not as big of an impact that they are today.

Curt

[TheK4Kid]

Interesting how people crucify Microsoft because other people's software won't work with the newer MS releases.  That is why they do Beta releases, so the other software firms can upgrade their interfaces.  Kinda like being mad at Chevy because Goodyear's 14" tires don't fit anymore.  But, if one checks low and behold, Goodyear has 15", 16" , 17" ...ad infinitum size tires.

If your support software doesn't work, check their site for upgrades and then call them.

MS is not perfect.  But, they are 99.99% responsible for all of us being able to be here, and the web even being here, too.

I'm not trying to crucify Microsoft, but I'll point out an example.
I have MS Flight Sim 2004 on this PC.
When it was first loaded in ( before I had W98 Lite Pro) it took FS2004 almost 4 minutes to load!
 After letting my friennd clean up my PC and load W98 Lite Pro in it, MS 2004 loaded in 16 seconds!

Microsoft loads so much "fat" into a new PC, it's unreal!
They put in software that will supposedly make other software they hope to sell you in the future more compatible with the machine whether you ever buy it or not.
If you don't buy it and use it, the "fat" is still there SLOWING your PC down.

I can also simply click on an icon on my screen and totally switch between W98 or IE, they  are TOTALLY SEPARATED on this machine.

When I asked my friend if I should update to IE 7, he said don't even think about it!
It's a ball of twine that is so tangled right now, it will take awhile to untangle it.

Jeffrey is right, and probably has a machine that runs good, even if it's not the latest and greatest technology.
Since he builds PC's he proabbly understands the W98 version I have on here, and how I can swich bewteen IE and W98 Lite Pro.
By the way my W98 Lite Pro works along with Firefox as my browser, which is what I use.
I have IE6 loaded on here, but never use it.

 Just my 2cents worth

Ed

[G Paine]

I had similar problems when I downloaded IE7 last Friday. I fussed with it a couple of days, and finally did a system restore that got me back to IE 6 OK. THEN I had a problem with McAfee Viruscan not working. Viruscan is very protective of itself, and it appears that some of the automatic downloads while I was fussing caused a conflict when I backdated my computer to Friday. System Restore puts back ALL changes. Since McAfee was bundeled with my Dell when I bought it, I called Dell support. They told me that IE 7 is still BETA, which Microsoft should have disclosed when they set it as a Priority Download. Dell refered me to a McAfee support for Dell products, they had me download a tool that removed Viruscan, then I went to my McAfee account and was able to download and install McAfee again. That's a lot of work and frustration just because Micreosoft was not up front on the status of IE 7.

[rrebell]

Now say it with me.... WE LOVE YOU BILL.... MICROSOFT IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD....

Now in all reality I really dont like microsoft. But I have a lot of respect for the college drop out that runs the company, because it really does show that being a cold callus business person you really can make a lot of money on Screwing people that dont know any better, ah yes thats america at its best.... And for those that dont know Micro soft is also the controling intrest in mac as of about 5 years ago.

 Any way back on topic get rid of IE7 it is just a beta version that they used as a manditory update  to see where the problems are. Wait a year to get the new version of IE. Just keep in mind it will be a decent program once all the bugs get fixed. Untill then try fire fox it is just as good as Ie 6 but has beter security features. Just my 2 cents,

Curt

That goes for the whole batch, they all stole or tricked their way to the top and at companys like oracle backstabbing is the way the company runs (they even fear the janitors thinking they are after their jobs).

[Virginian]

Interesting how people crucify Microsoft because other people's software won't work with the newer MS releases.  That is why they do Beta releases, so the other software firms can upgrade their interfaces.  Kinda like being mad at Chevy because Goodyear's 14" tires don't fit anymore.  But, if one checks low and behold, Goodyear has 15", 16" , 17" ...ad infinitum size tires.

If your support software doesn't work, check their site for upgrades and then call them.

MS is not perfect.  But, they are 99.99% responsible for all of us being able to be here, and the web even being here, too.

[TheK4Kid]

And people wonder why I still use Windows98 SE w/sp1? Could it be because IE7 is such a screwed up piece of * that I won't give it the time of day? Quite possibly! I will continue to use W98 until I can no longer find drivers for it. At the rate things are going, a lot of people are coming back to W98.

Jeffrey is right.
I am using an edition of W98 called  W98 Lite Pro.
A freind of mine who does all my PC work and is also a PC and IT specialist says stay away from IE 7 and I was going to get a new Dell PC, and he also said don't even think about Windows Vista, it will be at least a year before they get the bugs out of it.
This edition of W98 I have gets rid of most of the junk Microsft loads into a machine.
It's an old 400 Mhz machine with an AMD K63 processor, and runs at about  800Mhz performance wise.
Basically my PC is just over 8 years old, still running fine.
Why mess it up?

Ed

[rrebell]

And people wonder why I still use Windows98 SE w/sp1? Could it be because IE7 is such a screwed up piece of * that I won't give it the time of day? Quite possibly! I will continue to use W98 until I can no longer find drivers for it. At the rate things are going, a lot of people are coming back to W98.

Windows 98 not likly to die as it is a gamers platform now, some gamers use duel boots so they have xp and 98!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Now say it with me.... WE LOVE YOU BILL.... MICROSOFT IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD....

Now in all reality I really dont like microsoft. But I have a lot of respect for the college drop out that runs the company, because it really does show that being a cold callus business person you really can make a lot of money on Screwing people that dont know any better, ah yes thats america at its best.... And for those that dont know Micro soft is also the controling intrest in mac as of about 5 years ago.

 Any way back on topic get rid of IE7 it is just a beta version that they used as a manditory update  to see where the problems are. Wait a year to get the new version of IE. Just keep in mind it will be a decent program once all the bugs get fixed. Untill then try fire fox it is just as good as Ie 6 but has beter security features. Just my 2 cents,

Curt

[Stevert]

  Interesting thread. 

  The PC I'm using to type this reply has XP Home w/SP2, all fixes, and IE7.  But IE7 isn't a problem for this forum or anything else because I use Firefox. 

  IE is only used for those Web sites who's authors choose to write them to IE's "non-standards", to the extent that they won't work on a proper browser. 

  While I haven't kept any actual stats on how many Web sites that is, it's very few.  In other words, Firefox works perfectly (or I should say the Web sites work perfectly) probably 99% of the time.

Steve

PS.  This PC started out as a PII with W98 first edition.  Since then, the original OS has been upgraded to XP Home (not a clean install, but an upgrade) and all the hardware has been upgraded as well, and I do mean all:  Motherboard, processor, memory, video card, hard drives, optical drives, power supply, and even the case.   Some of them have even been swapped out more than once (memory, video card, hard and optical drives, PS, case), yet I have NEVER had to do a re-install.  My train PC is also XP Home SP2 w/all upgrades and fixes (and IE7) and recently had it's hardware completely upgraded as well.  Again, never had to reinstall XP.  IMHO, anyone who says XP is unstable/unusable simply isn't maintaining their machine properly.