SSD is in

OK, so the new intel X25-M 120 gb is in the new 31 caddy. That was easy. If I decide to load XP, is alignment worth the effort on an intel SSD? Google was inconclusive. I have XP and 7 recovery disks. In the tattered recesses of my mind I'm feeling there is a way to do the alignment with the 7 disc, then proceed with installing XP. Any clues? Oh, and props to mnementh on the Grammys.

 

whats alignment?

 

I dunno if XP will be able to read/write to an NTFS partition created with Win7; the file structure is NOT the same even though it is still called NTFS.

Yeah, I'm kindof miffed they didn't nominate me for "Best use of Flaming Breath" but then I'd have to toe-off against Ryan Seacrest... that much hot air would probably make the entire stage float away...:wink:

mnem
Fire ON, Seacrest OUT...

 

I used my Windows 7 RC disk to install Win 7 to set up the partitions then I installed Windows XP over that and rechecked the alignment and all was good and worked great. You could also install Win XP then use a program like Paragon Alignment Tool 2.0 to align the partition after the windows install. I have done it both ways and both work fine.

 

Do you have applications that need XP
If don't then just install W7 as it has proper support for SSD drives
SSD and XP means tweaking to get it right
It seems that everyone around here is ditching XP and running W7
You most certainly have the hardware to run it

 

I run DOS programs and other obscure crap that won't run in 7. One of my oem's won't have their 7 compatible version out for a week or so. Maybe. Is the XP mode in 7 any good?

 

Never tried , only used compatabitilty mode
There is a few downloads needed ,and I am downloading them now to try it out

XP mode , a 469MB download

 

I read the instructions and a couple of reviews, including this snarky little diatribe about the reason XP mode exists. No prisoners!!!

Windows 7's XP Mode: what it is, how it works, who it's for

My concern is, since my dos apps will not "install" in XP, and in fact need some path commands or memory environment parameters set in order to run at all, whether the virtualized OS will allow that. Every machine is different, and different XP boxes/laptops need different levels of tweaking to run these things. I can alway run DOSBOX, but would prefer a "going forward" solution that supports printing natively. It's modestly creepy running critical business apps on a tweaked tweak.

 

Just a thought but have you considered dual booting Windows 7 and DOS, I agree that it is not as convenient but it is better than nothing.

 

I understand what you're saying in theory; but the bottom line is that in this day and age, there should not be such a thing as a CRITICAL business app that won't run in Windows (or LINUX). It's poor business to not advance your software in a timely fashion; but command-line only is so far beyond not timely as to be not even the same species as a modern computer.

Maybe it's time to port over to something platform independent like Java or somesuch...

Of course, I get the feeling I'm not saying something you don't already know... LOL

mnem
I know! You can upgrade to CP/M!

 

I like what I like. It works great for me. What's the crime?

 

Dos /w95/w98/wm do not install on the newer hardware, no driver support , they won't even see a sata drive

 

Sorry... I thought someone else had saddled you with a kludge of archaic software to try and manage; I felt sorry for you being stuck with it.

If you choose yourself to keep flogging it that's your right, but you've come to the point now where you're going to have to start keeping/repairing antique hardware to run your antique software, because modern hardware simply won't do it; it's forgotten how to play with DOS. That's a losing battle.

Believe it or not, I actually saw mainmenu.bat still alive in the wild not too long ago, operating a 13-module propane delivery & billing system. Hope they update their trucks more often than their software...

mnem
Dumb looks are still free.

 

Nope. Not saddled, just a bitter clinger

Edit: intel told me, in as many words, to basically play a nice game of "hide and go eff yourself." To whit:

"Please note that Intel® does not provide information about alignment since this is out of the scope of support and the recommendation will be to use the SATA controller default settings.

Please do not hesitate in getting in contact with us for further support.

Sincerely,

Maurice B."

Sure Maurice. Next time I want useless answers from some cubical clown at intel I'll be chatting you up. Not. I ask those dipsticks a question about once every seven years. More often now that my memory is failing. This is an improvement though. In the past they never answered. Progress is progress.

 

Fine. I'm learning Office. Starting with *&#$^!! Access. Yo mnen, if you're ever in San Diego, don't look me up.

 

*Says a prayer for your suffering soul*

Now, now... don't do anything TOO drastic.

Microsoft Orifice has been clinically proven to cause depression, manic/depression, confusion, derangement, 67 kinds of stress, hair loss, mysterious memory loss, blackouts, coworker strangulation and random cases of inexplicable equipment sudden deceleration trauma.

I recommend lubricating your mind with a few highballs before you sit down to the computer; and if you have anger management issues, do ALL your training sessions on your ToughBook - lesser computers will likely not survive the process.

mnem
*Just spent 6 hours in front of Excel - I FEEL you, man.*

 

Take a peek at Open Office (free as in freeware and free as in freedom). I use it little but like it much.
Did a project back when I "worked" for a living and put together a training database with Excel. My temporary boss at the time (I was on light duty w/a torn shoulder) asked how I got it to work. I couldn't tell him as I didn't know. What a "piece".

 

Started with Open Office Base. It runs slower than HanDbase on my Blackberry! Access is tolerable. Barely. Excel is next on the list to be assimilated.

 

I use Excel for all my forms, daily reports, purchase orders, and the like. It sucks, but is much better than Word for forms. I had a program called PF Write back before Rob was born, did everything I needed but its not about to run on anything newer than 8086. Stick with it, Excel can be learned in small increments, and it gets more useful as you learn. Its a lot better than the old Lotus.
CAP