OZOPremium
join:2003-01-17
kudos:2 | reply to Matt3
Re: [WIN7] Ultimate on a netbook: Who's doing it? said by Matt3:Looks like Windows 7 makes better use of screen real-estate to me ... Of cause I can't change what it looks like to you  . It's personal opinion and it can not be changed easy by someone else input.
I have some advises though:
1. If you care about screen space in XP - you may change layout of WE and it will use less space. Here is just one example:
XP Toolbar, OZO
Now, compare it with what you use now:
XP Toolbar, Matt
Do you see the difference? There is small icons, there is no "Go" button (have you ever used it?), toolbar is on the same row with main menu bar, unnecessary items in toolbar are removed or moved to the right, etc. It's very flexible design.
2. You don't need access to "System Tasks" from every WE window. Go to "Start" menu and get it right from there. The same is about "File and Folder Tasks" - everything could be done via right click menu. So, use classic folders view instead. It will save screen space to you even more.
Now, lets take a look at WE provided by W7.
1. Toolbar can not be customized as you can do it in XP. So you can't rearrange layout and put or remove items as you would want.
2. Take a look at new status bar in W7.
W7 New Status bar
It obviously takes more space and provides less info then status bar in XP:
XP Old Status bar
If you need to see that info you have to open an extra bar at the bottom that takes a lot of space. Why do I need the extra bar with already existing status bar? Please tell me...
I can't upload more then 4 pictures in one post, thus please see the next one...
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself... |
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OZOPremium
join:2003-01-17
kudos:2 | 3. Can you get rid of white spaces between groups here:
W7 Folders bar
Can you get reed of "Favorites", "Libraries" groups placed in every WE window? Can you put "Homegroup" group to the bottom of the list where it belongs (people need it much more less then access to local drives)? All of this will certainly save space in WE (you would not see vertical scrolling bar as you see it on your picture now)...
4. Your picture doesn't show menu bar in WE at all. Here is picture (classic mode) with it:
W7 Menu bar
Can you do the same customization of toolbar and menu as you can to with WXP? I don't think so...
And finally, take a look at one more example how screen space is wasted in W7:
W7 Taskbar Properties
That's just ridiculous. There are only tree buttons available for an action and there is already need for a vertical scroll bar to get to the rest...
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself... |
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| Heh, I can make Vista Explorer navigation pane looks just like XP. But not 7 - well almost, I can have Favorites closed on top then that space you're complaining about then Desktop, thats it - no Libraries or HomeGroup or anything else. If we could delete that Favorites link off that pane...
Also Vista and 7, you can turn off Detail pane and turn on Status bar in View. Vista have free space and number of objects info, same as XP. But with 7, it just display the the number of objects info. And well... who cares about the free space?
Take a look around google and see what you can come up with... |
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OZOPremium
join:2003-01-17
kudos:2 | said by Razzy12345 :
Heh, I can make Vista Explorer navigation pane looks just like XP. But not 7 - well almost, I can have Favorites closed on top then that space you're complaining about then Desktop, thats it - no Libraries or HomeGroup or anything else. If we could delete that Favorites link off that pane... First, why we can't get rid of "Favorites" in Windows Explorer. "Favorites" contains list of URL's and it should be in Internet Explorer, not in every WE window. BTW, in the Internet Explorer it's hidden by default along with menu. Weird!
Second, your "Desktop" item mentioned contains "Libraries", "Homegroup" as top items. Just open it in Folders pane in WE... (and you have to open it if you want to access drive C:, for example). There is no way to get rid of them either (actually I don't need the Libraries" at all, and as I've said the "Homegroup" group should go to the bottom of the list - see my prev. post for the reasoning behind it).
Also Vista and 7, you can turn off Detail pane and turn on Status bar in View. Vista have free space and number of objects info, same as XP. But with 7, it just display the the number of objects info. And well... who cares about the free space? That's my point. Who cares about free space, especially if we're talking about netbooks... 
If you want to get a bit more details about files/folders (like the date created or modified) - you have to open second status bar at the bottom of the Windows Explorer:
Second Status Bar in W7
But even that extra bar taking a much more space doesn't provide the info that you can see in small status bar in XP Windows Explorer...
Oops I forgot about the item select file size info, Vista has it. 7 doesn't. Guess that info is good for you? But then I can see it in main window under Size column or tooltip.
Tooltips? OK, look at my prev. post and let me know the free space in the picture "W7 New Status bar". There are cases when you can't rely on a tooltip and this is just an example.
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself... |
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| reply to OZO
As for free space, I will just right click C: on navigation pane and click properties... it's not hard to do................ |
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OZOPremium
join:2003-01-17
kudos:2 | reply to Razzy12345
Thanks for the link. It will help to get rid of "Libraries".
Is there any way in W7 WE to turn off "Favorites" panel in the left side (to close the left panel)? In some cases it's useful in order to make WE more compact and/or to show more data on its right panel. In XP for that purpose WE has "Folders" button on its toolbar (close to "Search" button, see 1st picture in this post) and it will allow to turn it on or off. The same way as you can turn on and off "Search" panel on WE left side too.
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself... |
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| reply to Razzy12345
Dunno. What I do know is that the Libraries feature has been a need of mine ever since I migrated off of Apple's System 8 to the PC world. Apple has had that feature for decades and Microsoft is just now putting it in. It's saved me quite a bit of time, just being able to link up folders in disparate places into one interface and then search within that interface, rather than having to dig through drives to find something. About the only thing I don't like on Libraries is that you can't then directly link to your personal Documents, Music, Pictures, etc. folders. But that's a small price to pay. Homegroup made it easy to share my other media with other devices...the only negative is that it requires a Windows 7 OS. If it were compatible with Windows Server or otherwise it'd be more useful. |
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 Matt3All noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | I agree with ReVeLaTeD  . Homegroups and Libraries are the bomb -- and yes I said that. 
No matter which machine I'm on, they all show the same thing in my libraries. No more worrying about keeping folders in sync, I just join my homegroup, set up my libraries and I'm done. I use Favorites for everything not under Homegroups and Libraries; which consists of my Desktop, C Drive, and Downloads Folder.
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"What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?" - Abraham Lincoln |
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