upgrade mark 2.0 - we are pleased

Okay, so. Here is where we are.

Done

1.) I have partitioned, formatted, installed Windows 7, moved things over, and installed new hard drive into computer. Old hard drive is now in the enclosure. Installed Office, Firefox, iTunes, NoteTab, sound card settings, video card settings, dell drivers, trillian, yahoo, and dell dock for Windows 7.

2.) We have achieved iTunes keeping my metadata via shinetheway. Because she is awesome.

3.) This sucker is a lot faster. I am thinking a clean install and only installing programs I needed tonight helped with that.

4.) So far moved: music, all my personal files, media.

5.) All bookmarks and most settings from Firefox. I have a feeling I'm going to be forgetting some of those until it tells me I need them.

Not Done

1.) The rest of John Sheppard II being moved into--Adam, yes, fine, you know I name my computers (and hard drives!) and um, electronics fannishly. I don't even care if you laugh. It's a hot hard drive, people.

2.) Hunting down Windows 7 settings to see where everything is.

3.) Adjust video to not be quite so weird. Adjust display to not be weird.

4.) Install Premiere Elements, a few of the programming IDEs, and a variety of smaller ones I can live without. And my Perl libraries. I am not looking forward to going through that again at all.

5.) See if there's anything important I missed. That would be Firefox updates, Adobe updates, and various updates that I don't know I need yet.

Observations

1.) Windows 7 installs amazingly fast. I mean--wow. That was fast. Like, insanely so. It was probably less than a total of thirty minutes from when I installed the hard drive in the laptop and Windows was operating and I was moving things over.

2.) I do not object so far to any Windows changes, but I haven't seen them all either. It's running fast enough right now that I'm not even looking. Most of my problems with XP were speed related.

3.) I'm not sure yet if it was necessary to partition the drive, but I don't really care since it doesn't hurt. The only thing I put there besides Windows is Firefox, iTunes, and Office, but I'm thinking of moving the former two to the D drive and leaving that one just for Windows-related things. IDK. I like organizing this so if the OS or something goes south, I still have all my other stuff safe in D.

4.) I miss quicklaunch, but the pinning thing isn't bad and the dock is cool.

5.) If you want to transfer data from one internal to another during a change of hard drive, yeah, go with the enclosure. This is incredibly low-stress. The one I got literally came with everything it needed in the box.

A Final Note

I do not hate Windows 7. So if all goes well, going to get this for Mom tomorrow. It's not quite familiar yet, but I think it's the changes in color and brightness and text that I need to sit down with tomorrow and work out how much I actually like and just hate now because I hate change, and what I can't deal with.

awake with the upgrade mark 2

Yeah, I can't sleep until my settings are right. I'm aware this is crazy. I just don't care.

Here's the thing; I don't like change. I mean, like I don't like nutella and like I don't like The Ring--that's where I am. I can handle change, but even good changes are things that should come in small doses so I can adjust to them. Even changes I really want have a--strategy, an method of approach let us say, that keeps me from twelve straight hours working on Windows 7 until it doesn't freak me out with all the changes.

The resolution feels wrong--I know it's not, I checked. The bright/contrast/color are wrong--they probably are because they're better. I can't get my NoSquints perfect. Firefox browser was upgraded--see? Windows 7, new hard drive, new video settings, and new browser update--that's too much change.

I love italics. I hate changes more than I love italics. Just in case this needed to be stated again.

The bigger problems aren't the huge changes, either--yeah, don't ask, I don't get it either. It's the small ones like having a very tiny but very noticeable rock in one's shoe. I swear the LJ interface to post an entry has moved over ten percent. And PermaTabs refresh has to be done in the tab instead of in the toolbar or it opens a new window (have tried all settings; nothing doing). The grey is all wrong on the browswer window, and I think the blue is like, two shades off. There's a very real possibility that all the folders are the wrong size. All the text is too clear and easy to read--did I say this shit was sane? Also, trillian message windows won't let me change the text/read from up/down to side-side and that's actually really frustrating, since it's pretty much the only reason I ever liked trillian.

I know part of this is going to be acclimitization--I make all of the above changes on purpose quite regularly (well, not the LJ thing or the PermaTab thing, wtf is up with that?). So it's not like I'm not aware I'm just in the middle of denial (stages of change: hatred, denial, reluctant bitter resignation, resigned understanding, and finally, acceptance with optional enthusiasm!), it's that I just cannot make myself accept that in a week, the screen will not be too bright, the colors will not be wrong, everything isn't one inch off what it should be, and my drivers don't suck.

Okay, Positives

I like the replacement for the start menu. I like Dell Dock immensely with all those quick shortcuts. I am enchanted by the widgets. I like pinning things to the taskbar. I like the right side icons with the hidden ones now available in a menu instead of that damn slidy thing. I really love Computer pinned to the taskbar like whoa. I'm still wary on All Programs not opening up into multiple boxes across the screen, but I admit it fits with the streamlining much better.

I like this time around my drive mapping is clearer and since I'm adding everything one by one, I know where everything is.

I like nothing has blown up yet. That's really the best part.

upgrade mark 2.0 - okay, so yes, it was craziness

So maybe the color is actually fine, and LJ interface is not ten percent off. I was just crazy. The blue is still wrong, but give it twenty-four hours and I won't care. I am reconciled to neat, clean, readable ClearType text. So yeah, crazy. I kind of knew this, but it's comforting to get confirmation.

So I am converted to the Windows 7 side of the Force. I am totes not even ashamed.

( my love is fickle and probably kind of unhealthy )

I am starting to sound kind of evangelical about this. Honestly, I really, really did not want to change from XP--I knew it! I didn't hate it! It was like a favorite sweater, chewed on by children and kind of fit wrong, but I loved it because it was old and familiar. This is very shiny and apparently, it does in fact mean Microsoft is capable of making improvements that are actual, y'know, improvements. Color me shocked.

Okay, the keyboard delay thing is getting more annoying. Hmm.