• XP_Many Questions

    From Ed Vance@1:2320/105 to All on Sat Oct 19 20:24:00 2019
    Howdy!,

    If I wasn't already Crazy, I'd say that my XP pc lately has been driving
    Me crazy.

    1. Often when I move the mouse downwards without any buttons pressed,
    what I seeing on the screen Scrolls Down suddenly, oftentimes to the bottom
    of the page.

    The Mouse Pointer changes to a Circle when it does this.
    The Circle has a Dot in the center, a UP Arrow above the Dot and a DOWN Arrow below the Dot.
    Sometimes I see a Left Arrow and a Right Arrow with the other two Arrows.

    I've learned that Circle means "Reader Mode".
    Microsofts "Mouse and Pointers" page;

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/uxguide/inter-mouse

    has a picture of what I have been seeing in the "Guidelines" section,
    under the heading "Mouse Wheel" that's near the bottom of the web page.

    While on MS's web site I did a Search for "Reader Mode" and found some links about it.
    I will look at them later to see if I can learn how to turn Reader Mode OFF.


    I looked in Windows XP Help and Support but it doesn't have any info for turning off Reader Mode.

    2. Focus - when I have Buttons for more than one item in the Taskbar,
    lots of times (most of the time) if I click somewhere on the page I have open, the Mouse Click goes to the page I previously used that hasn't been Minimized instead of doing what I was clicking on, on the current page I'm using.

    3. CTRL-ALT-DEL - The Mouse doesn't do what I Click on and I have to do
    the Three Finger Salute and then Minimize Windows Task Manager by clicking
    the Button on the Task Bar to Minimize it.

    I'm doing that about 100 Times a day.

    At least the computer responds to the Three Finger Salute.

    There is always Someone or Something that keeps Me humble, right now it's the XP computer.

    I've been thinking of putting some variety of Linux on this pc.
    At least then I will be able to use a Supported version of Firefox, instead
    of Firefox that isn't supported by Mozilla because Microsoft doesn't want to support the older O/S software they created.

    I guess my XP SP3 pc is a Orphan!

    Are there anyone reading who still uses XP?

    Here on Earth computers alway win because They have inside information.

    Thanks for reading and any help is appreciated.

    73 de Ed W9ODR . .



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  • From Karel Kral@2:423/39 to Ed Vance on Sun Oct 20 06:27:20 2019
    Hello Ed.

    19 Oct 19 20:24, you wrote to all:

    The Mouse Pointer changes to a Circle when it does this.
    The Circle has a Dot in the center, a UP Arrow above the Dot and a
    DOWN Arrow below the Dot. Sometimes I see a Left Arrow and a Right
    Arrow with the other two Arrows.

    Is not it just your mouse dead? I mean this usualy shows up during middle button click.

    I mean you should first find out if it is HW or SW issue.

    Karel

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  • From August Abolins@2:221/360 to Ed Vance on Mon Oct 21 00:48:35 2019
    In a post between "Ed Vance : All", on 10/19/2019 8:24 PM

    If I wasn't already Crazy, I'd say that my XP pc lately has been driving
    Me crazy.

    It's probably NOT the OS (XP), but something else messing with the OS and then results in the chaos you see. :)


    1. Often when I move the mouse downwards without any buttons pressed,
    what I seeing on the screen Scrolls Down suddenly, oftentimes to the bottom of the page.

    The Mouse Pointer changes to a Circle when it does this. The Circle
    has a Dot in the center, a UP Arrow above the Dot and a DOWN Arrow
    below the Dot. Sometimes I see a Left Arrow and a Right Arrow with
    the other two Arrows.
    I've learned that Circle means "Reader Mode".

    That state of the mouse and the resultant symbol is usually because the scroll wheel has been pressed (toggled).

    Maybe you are inadvertently pressing too hard on the wheel, or the mouse wheel is defective, or time for a new mouse! ;)


    2. Focus - when I have Buttons for more than one item in the Taskbar,
    lots of times (most of the time) if I click somewhere on the page I
    have open, the Mouse Click goes to the page I previously used that
    hasn't been Minimized instead of doing what I was clicking on, on the
    current page I'm using.

    Might be easier to understand what you are experiencing with a video clip, but maybe this result is tied into the "problem" with the scroll wheel?

    3. CTRL-ALT-DEL - The Mouse doesn't do what I Click on and I have to do
    the Three Finger Salute and then Minimize Windows Task Manager by clicking the Button on the Task Bar to Minimize it.

    I'm doing that about 100 Times a day.

    At least the computer responds to the Three Finger Salute.

    That definitely rules out the keyboard or OS as the problem. C-A-D has come to
    the rescue for me many times as well. But 100 times a day is a problem for sure!


    I've been thinking of putting some variety of Linux on this pc.
    At least then I will be able to use a Supported version of Firefox, instead of Firefox that isn't supported by Mozilla because Microsoft doesn't
    want to
    support the older O/S software they created.

    I have one pc with XP that I use most of the time. It is using Firefox 52.8 32-bit quite nicely. I feel no compulsion to go to their offering of 52.9esr.

    Linux and its many variants (distributions they call it) is quite nice these days. I've explored retiring XP and replacing it with linux, but I still rely on several Windows programs that I can't replace: Office, and Access to name the two main ones.

    When you say "MS doesn't want to support.." it's really just about the security
    updates. Otherwise, there is absolutely nothing broken about XP! I'm a good boy and I don't purposefully explore the darknet or respond to any unsolicited links in email.

    All is good with XP.


    Are there anyone reading who still uses XP?

    ME! (waving madly)

    Try another mouse (one without a scroll wheel if possible) to rule out an OS problem.

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  • From Ed Vance@1:2320/105 to Karel Kral on Sun Oct 20 16:15:00 2019
    10-20-19 06:27 Karel Kral wrote to Ed Vance about XP_Many Questions
    Howdy! Karel,

    @MSGID: <5DAC308C.15646.windowsa@capitolcityonline.net>
    @REPLY: <5DABA9A2.15645.windowsa@capitolcityonline.net>
    Hello Ed.

    19 Oct 19 20:24, you wrote to all:

    The Mouse Pointer changes to a Circle when it does this.
    The Circle has a Dot in the center, a UP Arrow above the Dot and a
    DOWN Arrow below the Dot. Sometimes I see a Left Arrow and a Right
    Arrow with the other two Arrows.

    Is not it just your mouse dead? I mean this usualy shows up during
    middle button click.

    I mean you should first find out if it is HW or SW issue.

    Thanks for the Reply.

    I use a corded Mouse with Two Buttons and a Wheel, it's connected to the computers P/S 2 Mouse Port.

    When I began seeing this problem I turned on a cordless Mouse and saw the
    same actions.

    Reader Mode comes on in Firefox and in Notepad too, so I think its SW.

    Maybe it's Me!
    I read some more Microsoft pages and learned I might be pressing the
    Wheel on the Mouse too hard when I'm scrolling and doing that turns
    Reader Mode ON.

    Today I still see it happening so I'm trying to find out how to tell this
    pc to stop doing it.

    Appreciate the help, Thanks!

    73 de Ed W9ODR . .





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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Mon Oct 21 12:46:00 2019
    Linux and its many variants (distributions they call it) is quite nice these >days. I've explored retiring XP and replacing it with linux, but I still rely >on several Windows programs that I can't replace: Office, and Access to name >the two main ones.

    While I am almost certain it still has not caught up to Access, the Word
    and Excel compatables in Libre Office work nicely.

    Mike

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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Mike Powell on Tue Oct 22 07:44:00 2019
    Mike Powell wrote to AUGUST ABOLINS <=-

    While I am almost certain it still has not caught up to Access, the
    Word and Excel compatables in Libre Office work nicely.

    I've been a Microsoft Office user since Office95, and forced myself to start using Google Docs to understand it better. I found myself having to create a spreadsheet, opening a browser and using Google Sheets for the first time a while ago.

    For those connected, it's a pretty decent solution - and a heck of a lot better than an old, possibly unsupported copy of Microsoft Office.


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  • From August Abolins@2:221/360 to Mike Powell on Tue Oct 22 18:46:23 2019
    On 21/10/2019 12:46 p.m., Mike Powell : AUGUST ABOLINS wrote:

    Linux and its many variants (distributions they call it) is quite
    nice these days. I've explored retiring XP and replacing it with
    linux, but I still rely on several Windows programs that I can't
    replace: Office, and Access to name the two main ones.
    While I am almost certain it still has not caught up to Access, the Word
    and Excel compatibles in Libre Office work nicely.

    Hello Mike,

    Libre's wordprocessor and the spreadsheet would be a perfectly fine replacement
    for my needs. But MS Access has become a central program for my biz. Technically, I cannot work with a compatible. And, along the way, I've grown accustomed to some of the handy features in Outlook.

    Otherwise, I would embrace the opportunity to walk away from the MS universe.

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  • From August Abolins@2:221/360 to Kurt Weiske on Tue Oct 22 18:51:24 2019
    On 22/10/2019 10:44 a.m., Kurt Weiske : Mike Powell wrote:
    Mike Powell wrote to AUGUST ABOLINS <=-

     MP> While I am almost certain it still has not caught up to Access, the
     MP> Word and Excel compatables in Libre Office work nicely.

    I've been a Microsoft Office user since Office95, and forced myself
    to start using Google Docs to understand it better. I found myself
    having to create a spreadsheet, opening a browser and using Google
    Sheets for the first time a while ago.
    For those connected, it's a pretty decent solution - and a heck of a lot better than an old, possibly unsupported copy of Microsoft Office.

    Personally I don't like the constant need to be "connected" just to work on a personal document. But, the online Google Docs and Sheets has been handy when I need to share a file that is progressing or needs updates.

    The yearly fee for MS Office365 was a real turn-off for me.

    We certainly have a lot of options these days.

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  • From Ethan Sullens to Ed Vance on Wed Nov 6 17:29:03 2019
    Re: XP_Many Questions
    By: Ed Vance to All on Sat Oct 19 2019 08:24 pm

    I've been thinking of putting some variety of Linux on this pc.
    At least then I will be able to use a Supported version of Firefox, instead of Firefox that isn't supported by Mozilla because Microsoft doesn't want to support the older O/S software they created.

    I guess my XP SP3 pc is a Orphan!

    Are there anyone reading who still uses XP?

    I have two PCs (Desktop, Laptop) that run Windows XP SP3 and they are still humming along! If you haven't decided on a Linux distro as of yet might I recommend Pop_OS! by System76 as a possible alternative. There are quite a few out there and this one is so well put together.

    ============================
    ======-[ air walker ]-======
    ============================
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to ED VANCE on Thu Nov 7 16:53:00 2019
    I've been thinking of putting some variety of Linux on this pc.
    At least then I will be able to use a Supported version of Firefox, instead of Firefox that isn't supported by Mozilla because Microsoft doesn't want to support the older O/S software they created.

    Well, a simple upgrade to linux might or might not fix issues like that.
    You may have to ultimately buy a newer PC to use supported versions. I am
    not sure about mozilla but google, for example, stopped making a 32-bit
    version of Chrome for linux. In order to use their newer, supported
    versions of Chrome, you have to be running a 64-bit machine.

    Mike


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  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Ethan Sullens on Fri Nov 8 07:42:00 2019
    Ethan Sullens wrote to Ed Vance <=-


    I guess my XP SP3 pc is a Orphan!

    Are there anyone reading who still uses XP?

    I have two PCs (Desktop, Laptop) that run Windows XP SP3 and they are still humming along!

    I have a couple of Windows XP VMs running on my Linux laptops. Without
    access to the internet, there's no significant risk.

    I use it to run my QWK environment; Multimail, Qedit and all of my text utilities ca. 1993 or so.


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  • From Ed Vance@1:2320/105 to Ethan Sullens on Fri Nov 8 19:43:00 2019
    11-06-19 17:29 Ethan Sullens wrote to Ed Vance about XP_Many Questions
    Howdy! Ethan,

    @MSGID: <5DC3971C.15664.windowsa@capitolcityonline.net>
    @REPLY: <5DABA9A2.15645.windowsa@capitolcityonline.net>
    Re: XP_Many Questions
    By: Ed Vance to All on Sat Oct 19 2019 08:24 pm

    I've been thinking of putting some variety of Linux on this pc.
    At least then I will be able to use a Supported version of Firefox, instead of Firefox that isn't supported by Mozilla because Microsoft doesn't want to support the older O/S software they created.

    I guess my XP SP3 pc is a Orphan!

    Are there anyone reading who still uses XP?

    I have two PCs (Desktop, Laptop) that run Windows XP SP3 and they are still humming along! If you haven't decided on a Linux distro as of yet might I recommend Pop_OS! by System76 as a possible alternative. There
    are quite a few out there and this one is so well put together.

    My XP is a Desktop HP a1430n Media Center computer I got in 2006.

    Lately I've been wondering about not hearing a BEEP when I turn it on.
    I see the three LED's Num Lock, Caps Lock and Scroll Lock flash when it is started but can't remember if this computer ever BEEP'ed when it started up.

    I tried looking at HP's web site recently to see if there is a "BEEP'er"
    in it but HP isn't interested in answering quesions about this 'OLD THING' since Microsoft's XP is an unsupported OS now.

    The Hardware still work but is way out of Warranty today.

    I tried looking in the pdf Manual's but haven't seen anything about it.
    I would think if it had a Piezo Electric BEEPER there would be a connector
    on the Motherboard for it but I've not seen it back when I looked at the Manuals.

    I never heard of Pop OS or the System76 Company, I will have to ask
    DuckDuckGo about it.

    Thanks for the suggestion.

    73 de Ed W9ODR . .


    ... Have you checked your smoke detector batteries & Fire Ext, LATELY?!
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  • From Ed Vance@1:2320/105 to Mike Powell on Fri Nov 8 20:10:00 2019
    11-07-19 16:53 Mike Powell wrote to ED VANCE about XP_Many Questions
    Howdy! Mike,

    @MSGID: <5DC494B3.15665.windowsa@capitolcityonline.net>
    @REPLY: <5DC3971C.15664.windowsa@capitolcityonline.net>
    I've been thinking of putting some variety of Linux on this pc.
    At least then I will be able to use a Supported version of Firefox, instead of Firefox that isn't supported by Mozilla because Microsoft doesn't want to support the older O/S software they created.

    Well, a simple upgrade to linux might or might not fix issues like
    that. You may have to ultimately buy a newer PC to use supported
    versions. I am not sure about mozilla but google, for example, stopped making a 32-bit version of Chrome for linux. In order to use their
    newer, supported versions of Chrome, you have to be running a 64-bit machine.

    This XP pc has a AMD 3800+ CPU which I"m thinking is a 64 bit processor
    so it could run newer software if I wanted to Dual-Boot or run a 64-bit
    OS in Virtual Memory. ?

    That is if the Hardware HP put in this box will work with a 64-bit OS.

    I had another thought sometime ago about seeing if a AMD 4800+ CPU would
    or could help out some if I changed the CPU.

    I played with running Ubuntu 7.04 from the CD I made long ago.
    And have downloaded several updates 10.4, 12.04 and 16.04.3 to try out.

    I heard about Mint Mate v.17 and looked at it too, but haven't really
    wanted to take XP off of this pc and run a version of LINUX.

    I've just played with LINUX so far.
    If I could just keep this XP from playing with Me...

    73 de Ed W9ODR . .


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