When do you upgrade?

[chris h]

I think OS installations on personal computers have a finite life. The newly installed OS gradually picks up detritus suuch as old files and bits of programmes which are kept at bay by defrag and registry pruning.
However eventually these barnacles build up and its time for a re-install or an upgrade. I used 98 for a long time but now have XP and 2K dual boot which seem happy with one another.

[Scott Rudy]

Originally posted by chris h
I think OS installations on personal computers have a finite life. The newly installed OS gradually picks up detritus suuch as old files and bits of programmes which are kept at bay by defrag and registry pruning.
However eventually these barnacles build up and its time for a re-install or an upgrade. I used 98 for a long time but now have XP and 2K dual boot which seem happy with one another.

You are half way right but it works both ways. It's not just a build up of old files and bits of programs but it's also the loss of bits of the OS program files that causes the real damage to Windows OS.

Active-X, Java, and shared .dll's cause the most damage to Windows OS, even if you use a utility like Norton and let Norton choose what it considers the best fix solutions, Norton will in fact slowly chip away at the OS system and registry files.

Shared .dll files should never be removed even though the program that they came with is no longer on the computer. Some .dll's are custom made for a particular program and are only used for that particular program but they attach themselves to OS .dll's. If you remove the shared .dll you could damage the OS .dll in the process causing operation and application problems with other programs and the OS.

Active-X, Java, and .dll's works kind of like macros in a sense. A macro is a recording of an operational control, a step by step process that can save time by performing a list of tasks commonly used to obtain a certian result or function, like the actions function in PhotoShop, actions are macros.

Plug-ins are more like active-X and Java, they are small programs that perform certain actions and tasks that are not common to the origianal program and they save programing space.

These macros are attached to the original programs coded instructions and can cause the original program to get confused due to changes in subroutines or program loops. You've heard of macro virus, if you use Word or Excel and set up a macro you will get a warrning that macros can contain viruses. In fact you yourself can write a macro virus when you write a macro into your Word or Excel pages and not even know about it until funny things start to happen.

One common macro virus is, you sit down to write an email or make a post on your favorite news group or fourm and when you start typing, the letters that you press are not the letters that appear on the screen, that is a macro virus.

Well I've blabbered long enough, can you tell I have no life other than in front of a computer?

[Bob Walden]

Hi all! Just switched to Win2000 2 wks ago. So far no prolems. Still chasing drivers though. Win 98 gave me good service but last 3 months or so lots of lock ups and crashes. It seem time to upgrade.

Bob

[chris h]

Scott,

Ok on the .dll options and I've always thought retaining them during uninstall procedures the safer course. I'm very sparing with what I install these days the bulk of my files living on cdr's or tape.