Subj : Learned something new To : Ky Moffet From : Barry Martin Date : Wed Jul 31 2024 07:38:00 Hi Ky! > BTDT!! Ubuntu's icon to open directories in GUI mode has a 'Recent' > option. Not sure if XP has something similar; could possibly create a > batch file to display the newest files per directory (and might want to > specify which ones to include), date restriction (such as last 3 days), > and better do a page option so the information doesn't scroll by! KM> Easiest is just to add it to the Favorites menu, which you can KM> organize into folders or however you like. KM> Mine is under KM> C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Favorites Ed should have a lot of options to play with! Sort of along the line of file organization, I created a directory called "File Cabinet" and its purpose is pretty much that: a place to store other directories. Here too much was getting stored under my user directory (Linux: /home/barry; Windows I think plain ol' C:\) so moved things around, created a few shortcuts, and cleaned things up. KM> I also keep a lot of want-it-now stuff in QuickLaunch, which one KM> can organize manually here (including folders if desired): Here "File Cabinet" is listed as a regular directory and I also created some shortcuts to go directly to a few directories inside the File Cabinet directly. KM> or wherever your user-data is found; I'm Administrator. Hm: I'd figure 'CMMO': Chief Mucky Muck Officer! KM> I so thoroughly miss QuickLaunch in Win10/11 that I'm going to KM> have to make a new toolbar just for the purpose (or jury-rig it KM> through the Desktop toolbar). Either they took it away because too few people used it or they couldn't figure out how to make it work in the new version. :) > EV> I keep Firefox open for when I open a .html file that is saved in > EV> one of my Directories, etc. > I'm wondering if that's causing more problems than worth. (Rhetorical.) KM> Firefox does leak memory, sometimes significantly. But that just KM> makes things slow, it doesn't prevent opening another program. I didn't phrase that wholly: more wondering if using Firefox, which is a relatively 'huge' programme and can do a lot, was taking up unnecessary memory in Ed's system with the not-called-upon functions. Sort of IOW would it be better to have a dedicated HTML utility taking up a small memory footprint, (I'm definitely in my Black Box territory.) > If the HTML file file is being used frequently (several times an hour) > might be worth keeping FX open so as to not waste too much of your time. > Here with my Virtial XP I have to use Firefox ESR and it takes 5 to 10 > seconds to open whereas the current Firefox in Ubuntu takes about a > second. ...Thinking there might be a better/more efficient utility for > viewing. KM> Browsers are great whopping hogs on disk, take forever to load (I KM> expect 30 seconds or so on Ed's system), and having an SSD or KM> NVMe does more for performance than anything else. I use a KM> sacrificial NVMe for swap and cache, because it's SOOOOOO much KM> faster. Looks like when I build my new system I need to consider a few extra pieces of hardware! Currently have a SSD for the Operating System and I presume programmes. Know the Swap is also on it. The HDD is for data. Ues, slower but not as likely to suddenly fail as solid state stuff. The Virtual Machine items is mostly on a NVMe. 'Mostly' because it appears some residual on the hard drive from the original installation. Also using a ramdisk for temporary files: both 'note' type of documents where don't need to be kept 'forever' on the hard drive and 'scratchpad' items. > EV> Two txt files of all the file names that I create with dir/s/-p , > EV> the second txt file has /b added to the prompt. > EV> I use those to learn which Directory I put the file I'm looking > EV> for, in. KM> I've done that. Textfile listing everything, until everything got KM> too big to list in a textfile. TextFile.txt, continued to TextFile_2.txt, continued to TextFile_3.txt. ....Then at TextFile_10 realize you should have called it TextFile_01! KM> I still put a zero-byte textfile in the root of every drive so if KM> I'm looking at it on the network and that called it something KM> stupid, I know that "MyBook" is "O on Silver". I have done something similar: the NAS has a bunch of storage directories whose contents filenames look pretty much the same. I put a small text file for quick identification: for instance "Test_203.txt" is for the computer whose IP ends in 203. ...If I don't see that file something's not connecting properly. > EV> Wierd?, Yes!, but works for me, and helps a lot. > I'm a big fan of "if it works for you, great!". Over the years I've > learned and incorporated a lot of 'alternative'ways of doing things. > ..Well, might not be a great idea to 'alternately' drive on the left in > the U.S., you knew what I meant! KM> LOL. One could try it. It's a good way to prevent falling asleep KM> on long night drives.... Where's that cartoon about the wife calling the husband to warn about the wrong-way driver and he responds "there's hundreds of them!"!! > As I indicated earlier, possibly incorporate a date restriction so only > displays the last several days' worth, and/or specific directories. > OTOH I can visualize how those would not be necessary: all depends how > you sent up your storage. KM> The only way to do a date restriction, far as I know, is to use KM> Search and set a date range. And that's really annoying to have KM> to do. Some of the seemingly simple operations are extremely complicated to do! > I'm sort of pre-planning: batch file with CHOICE options so you can > tell the utility the file you want was updated x-number of days ago > (today, three days, this week, heck I don't know!), it's probably in > [dir]. Could even restrict to .txt and other filetypes. :) KM> There's enough disconnect between the command prompt and the rest KM> of XP to make that not really practical. Some of the seemingly simple .... > EV> Right now their are 26 Taskbar Icons open. > EV> OH!, I Forgot to mention WordWeb dictionary and PDF-XChange > EV> Viewer I keep open to use whenever... > To me it seems like a lot of unneccesary open applications potentially > slowing down your system. OTOH a slightly slower system might be a good > trade for quicker access of frequently used applications. All depends. KM> Yeah, there are other ways to achieve the same instant-access and KM> NOT LOST without leaving everything open all the time. I'll admit to doing it the "Microsoft Way": software is too slow so the hardware gets faster, with faster hardware the software can function faster so let's have it do more, which slows down because the hardware can't keep up, so faster hardware...... Like I said up there somewhere I use a SSD for the OS. On some rather old-and-slow machines I've replaced the hard drive with a solid state one -- took a two- and three minute boot down to around 15-20 seconds. > .. Do 8 Hobbits = 1 Hobbyte? KM> And rabbits, rabbytes?? KM> This is a very good question. KM> First, catch Hobbit. Course instruction: Wyle E. Coyote. Teacher Assistant: Roadrunner. ¯ ® ¯ BarryMartin3@MyMetronet.NET ® ¯ ® .... I know why they call me a grown up: I groan every time I get up. --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .