Although I try to avoid it when I can, sometimes I'm forced to do coding and editing under Windows XP.
There are several free options available for download, but if you've worked extensively with text editors, you'll probably settle on either Vim or Emacs. You'll fall into one camp or the other. I have used both and slowly moved to XEmacs. I still use Vim (or Vi) from time to time, but most of my editing work is now done in XEmacs.
I installed XEmacs under windows to carry out some simple editing work, but had difficulty getting Syntax Highlighting to work. If you've tried coding without Syntax Highlighting, it's painful. It took a bit of digging but I finally got it to work. Here's how:
Download the XEmacs binary installer. As part of the install process it will ask you to select components. One of the options is Syntax Highlighting. Ensure this box is ticked before you complete the install.
After the install, launch XEmacs, click Options and go down to Edit Init File and save it.
Modern XEmacs/Emacs config files end with (dot).el. This is an abbreviation for Emacs List.
The second problem you may hit, you cannot create .xemacs directory to store your settings. You can't create these through the GUI, you have to drop down to DOS.
Launch cmd to get a DOS window. Change to your home directory, something like:
C:\Documents and Settings\YourName\
Create the directory:
MD .xemacs
and your done.
In XEmacs open the Options menu and select Syntax Highlighting.
That's about it.
XEmacs in XP
Fedora 9 - I Like It!
I downloaded and installed Fedora 9 on my main box, and I like it. It's rock solid. Graphics are sharp. Web surfing is nice. Fonts are tight. Lots of things not to complain about.
I like the KDE 4 desktop. It's a big move away from old KDE. They have changed so many things I had difficulty finding some options. It seems to work fine, though a few bugs are still lurking in the background.
Though I've used it, I don't much like Gnome. It always strikes me as being bland. It feels like it was designed by a committee of accountants. It works perfectly well, it does its job, but it lacks sparkle. It lacks excitement. Like a spanner, it does what it needs to, but its hard to get excited about.
On Fedora, one of the major improvements are the fonts and font rendering. Fedora / Firefox will match or better Windows XP. Browsing the web is now a luxurious experience. Fonts and font rendering were a wish unfullfilled in Linux, but they have attacked the problem with a vengeance. The results are spectacular. The fonts are crisp, well formed and tight.
I have only encountered one problem with Fedora 9. Flash. The Flash install does not work. Whether you run KDE or Gnome. That means some content is off limits. A pain, but I can live with it.
Compared to XP on my other machine, Fedora is rock solid stable. The beast just works. I have not fired up my XP box since I installed Fedora, and I have not been a Fedora fanboy in the past.
One major problem with XP. Leave your box on for a few days and it gets shaky. XP starts to stagger when it should walk. Launch an app and you get the eternal spinning hour glass. A reboot is inevitable.
In the past I've downloaded and installed Fedora and used it for a few days, but discontent with a few things, forced me to reach for the Debian Net Install CD. Wipe the disk and its back to Deb.
I have tried to so many Linux distros, its unreal. If I read a good review, I'll give it a shot. After a few days, invariably, its back to Debian. I've tried PCLinuxOS, Arch, Mepis, Gentoo, Suse, Linspire, Ubuntu, CentOS, and so on and so on and so on...
Many of the modern distros, bundle stuff I don't need. Each and every time the disk is wiped and Deb re-installed. The new distros are, in a sense, missionaries. They're a product for the Windows converts. They have a lot of stuff similar to Windows to cushion the transition. A lot of hand-holding that I don't need.
Hats off to the Fedora crew, their latest release is tight. I'm gonna run with it for a while. Fedora 9 has a lot going for it. Give it a shot. You'll like it
Timed XP Install
I recently did a fresh install of XP on my box, and timed the installation to see how long it took. It went like this:
Started XP installation at 10:13 am
Started Quick Format at 10:16 am
Finished Quick Format at 10:21 am
Installation boots into Windows at 10:22 am
Installation complete - 10:39 am
Total elapsed time: 26 minutes
That's just the OS. Now you need to add your apps and utils.
Format or Quick Format. What's the difference?
For your info, the difference between format and quick format?
Quick Format does not check for bad blocks, it only does the format. Format checks for bad blocks and takes much longer.
If the disk is okay, as you've used it before, you can get away with a quick format and save yourself some time.
Remove Unwanted Entries From The Context-Menu
During installation some programs add their own entries to your context-menu. It can be annoying, after a few programs your context-menu extends to several inches with hundreds of entries.
Here's how to remove the entries you don't want or need.
Open the registry editor:
Start > run > regedit.
Backup your registry in case fate meddles with ya. Click:
File > Export.
Enter a name for the backup registry. Something like: RegBak-010108, and click Save. Short for Registry Backup 1st Jan 2008. Make sure to keep the file in a safe location.
Next, open HKey_Classes_Root folder, this shows all file types on your machine. Open the asterix folder ( * ) , open the shellex folder, then open ContextMenuHandlers. This contains folders with ContextMenu entries.
Search through the entries and delete the ones you don't need.
How To Add A SATA Disk To XP
I hope this HowTo will save someone the hours it took me to crack the problem.
I bought a new 500GB SATA disk for my machine. I hit several problems when it came to adding and setting up the disk.
The process should be straightforward. It goes like this:
1) Install disk in machine.
2) Connect power and data cables to disk.
3) Go into BIOS and check SATA controller is enabled.
4) Watch for disk listing at boot.
5) After XP loads do: Control Panel > Admin Tools > Computer Management.
6) Double click Disk Management. You'll see all disks on the machine.
7) Right click on the new disk button (on the left). Select activate.
8) Right click on the new disk panel (on the right). Select partition.
Now go to My Computer and double click to open a window, where you'll see the new disk listed. Theory says you should be able to select the disk, right click it and choose format.
So far so good. Format starts, runs for 15 minutes and fails with error message:
"Windows was unable to complete the format."
Check the My Computer window again to find the disk has disappeared. You install PartitionMagic to see what it can do.
Delete the partition, create a new one, format it. PartitionMagic reboots into DOS, runs for several minutes then stops with error message:
"PartitionMagic error 626 while executing batch."
"Error 626 operation is to be performed on a hard
disk not visible from boot mode."
Start googling for solutions...
It seems some mother boards are particular where you connect your brand new SATA disk. Namely which controller.
Most new motherboards have four SATA controllers, two master, two slave. Watch the output at boot to see which controller your SATA disk is connected to. You can press the "Pause" button to freeze the display. If your adding a new disk to your system, then its gonna be a data disk. SATA data disks can only be connected to the "last two" controllers. Only system disks (ie windows) can only be connected to the "first two" controllers.
This appears to be one cause of the "My SATA disk has disappeared" syndrome.
Another Thing To Watch For
Make sure you don't have a jumper fitted to the disk. SATA disks don't use jumpers to select Slave or Master. Slave / Master selection is done through the controller you connect the disk to.
