Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

ghacks.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 276 posts

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#81

Post by robbyt »

partiallypro wrote: post #80
Waterluvian wrote: post #37

I just booted up a windows 10 machine earlier today for the first time in many months. It absolutely bewilders me how terribad the UI is. You have this fancy UI but if you ever click one or two options deep you end up getting these alternately styled legacy interfaces. It's so incoherent. It really makes windows 10 feel like a skin on top of windows xp. So when the article says Microsoft wants to push users into wind…

OSX does the same thing across apps and tools, with different menu styles that don't match etc.

Do you have any examples?

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#82

Post by autoexec »

jorvi wrote: post #60
gemjam wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One super useful hidden feature but terrible ui is you can start typing as soon as Win 10 start menu is open... example 'notepad'... I used to install classic shell just to get the [run] input box

How is that terrible UI? It's basically what Spotlight does for Macs. Cmd+space and it overlays a text box from which you can find and open any file, application, event etc. or even do stuff like calculations and unit conversions.

because there is no indication to the user that they can or should enter text. One my favorite things to type in the old "run" box was "." and that doesn't work anymore in 10. I can still open a command prompt and type "start ." at least.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#83

Post by robocat »

gemjam wrote: post #48
Waterluvian wrote: post #37

I just booted up a windows 10 machine earlier today for the first time in many months. It absolutely bewilders me how terribad the UI is. You have this fancy UI but if you ever click one or two options deep you end up getting these alternately styled legacy interfaces. It's so incoherent. It really makes windows 10 feel like a skin on top of windows xp. So when the article says Microsoft wants to push users into wind…

One super useful hidden feature but terrible ui is you can start typing as soon as Win 10 start menu is open... example 'notepad'... I used to install classic shell just to get the [run] input box

Except if you start typing just after booting, the search service (or something) isn't running yet and it doesn't give you any results even if you wait...

I hate using Windows 10 because I am constantly hitting new unique bugs in the UI, and regularly enough I run into complete show-stoppers. Windows UI is just so broken.

I do run into bugs on Ubuntu, but usually there is a workaround. And I have lower expectations when it costs $0 (and without the trillion dollar market cap of Microsoft).

I also regularly find bugs in macOS, which annoys me since we pay such a premium for Apple software.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#84

Post by gbear605 »

derefr wrote: post #65
Waterluvian wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like it was the intent. But I got into old menus simply by trying to change the clock time. Definitely not an IT professionals who don't care kind of action.

Sure it is. What home user even realizes they can change the clock time any more? Consider: can you change the clock time on your phone? I've never even considered doing so, personally. Seems like it'd screw up the GPS, if it was possible. Anyone whose first computer was a smartphone isn't going to think of changing their computer's clock time. To them, the time is a network feature, not a local feature.

I do it on my smartphone occasionally.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#85

Post by Wowfunhappy »

wrs wrote: post #38
Waterluvian wrote: post #37

I just booted up a windows 10 machine earlier today for the first time in many months. It absolutely bewilders me how terribad the UI is. You have this fancy UI but if you ever click one or two options deep you end up getting these alternately styled legacy interfaces. It's so incoherent. It really makes windows 10 feel like a skin on top of windows xp. So when the article says Microsoft wants to push users into wind…

It’s a skin on a skin on a skin on a skin. Its always been this way. By clicking on “advanced” buttons you can easily end up with four different eras of UI on the screen, including different system fonts and different font rendering algorithms! I can tell you first-hand from trying to get some of that fixed years ago, there’s just so much STUFF in Windows that is hardly ever seen, or should only be seen by “IT profes…

Microsoft is a big company and Windows is a big product. Is fully remaking the Control Panel really such a monumental task?

The Control Panel isn't that deep. It's not as though Microsoft needs to create a UI for every advanced Group Policy setting.

The new Settings app was introduced with Windows 8 in 2013. That means Microsoft has had six years to complete the transition.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#86

Post by acqq »

pjc50 wrote: post #36
chris_wot wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. If the update you apply trashes your registry, having the backup on disk is actually very helpful.

As Microsoft point out, this can be achieved with System Restore points.

> this can be achieved with System Restore points.

Is that on by default? Here it is claimed it isn't:

https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-use-system-restore-i...

"System Restore isn’t actually enabled by default in Windows 10, so you’ll need to turn it on."

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#87

Post by ygra »

autoexec wrote: post #82
jorvi wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that terrible UI? It's basically what Spotlight does for Macs. Cmd+space and it overlays a text box from which you can find and open any file, application, event etc. or even do stuff like calculations and unit conversions.

because there is no indication to the user that they can or should enter text. One my favorite things to type in the old "run" box was "." and that doesn't work anymore in 10. I can still open a command prompt and type "start ." at least.

Win+R still gives you that dialog.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#88

Post by dragonwriter »

autoexec wrote: post #82
jorvi wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that terrible UI? It's basically what Spotlight does for Macs. Cmd+space and it overlays a text box from which you can find and open any file, application, event etc. or even do stuff like calculations and unit conversions.

because there is no indication to the user that they can or should enter text. One my favorite things to type in the old "run" box was "." and that doesn't work anymore in 10. I can still open a command prompt and type "start ." at least.

> One my favorite things to type in the old "run" box was "." and that doesn't work anymore in 10

It absolutely does still work in the Run app.

The Run app is no longer conveniently docked at the bottom of the old Start menu near where the search box now opens when you start typing in the new Windows menu, though.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#89

Post by reaperducer »

derefr wrote: post #65
Waterluvian wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like it was the intent. But I got into old menus simply by trying to change the clock time. Definitely not an IT professionals who don't care kind of action.

Sure it is. What home user even realizes they can change the clock time any more? Consider: can you change the clock time on your phone? I've never even considered doing so, personally. Seems like it'd screw up the GPS, if it was possible. Anyone whose first computer was a smartphone isn't going to think of changing their computer's clock time. To them, the time is a network feature, not a local feature.

Consider: can you change the clock time on your phone?

On an iPhone:

Settings > General > Date & Time

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#90

Post by oblio »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #85
wrs wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a skin on a skin on a skin on a skin. Its always been this way. By clicking on “advanced” buttons you can easily end up with four different eras of UI on the screen, including different system fonts and different font rendering algorithms! I can tell you first-hand from trying to get some of that fixed years ago, there’s just so much STUFF in Windows that is hardly ever seen, or should only be seen by “IT profes…

Microsoft is a big company and Windows is a big product. Is fully remaking the Control Panel really such a monumental task? The Control Panel isn't that deep. It's not as though Microsoft needs to create a UI for every advanced Group Policy setting. The new Settings app was introduced with Windows 8 in 2013. That means Microsoft has had six years to complete the transition.

Yes, it's monumental. Third parties could add their own pages and hook into existing pages. Read the OldNewThing blog for the insanity that is the Windows ISV ecosystem.

Windows is space age tech compared to the garbage these companies pull off.

Post reply on HN