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I am new to Windows 7 (64), and I am also one of those people who ripped tore shredded and re-arranged Windows XP. The system won't do a LOT of thing I want, and some programs I use are causing problem, I followed some tutorials and because of ramifications, some things got worse.

It is only about the NEW things applied since Vista (avoided) and Windows 7. Everywhere else they say don't TOUCH, that isn't going to happen, there are all kinds of thing I am going to touch :-) They say Read this link, I had read that link, it will often be as usefull as a help file, the only thing I wanted to know is not in it.

So I am going to try here, where users have touched.

I do not like junctions, simple as that. I want to remove the existance of them, and remake REAL folders they would point to. What would be the ramifications?

The system has decided to Shim a program that crashed, Correction This is wrong, it changed someting but aparentally did not "shim" the program did not crash, the video card was not cool enough, I want to stop automatic shimming, and automatic compatability, and automatic file replacements. What even is a shim? how to stop any automatic downgrading, leaving manuel downgrading possible.

Again, everyone is treating the Real Admin as the Microsoft boogidyman, I am supposed to be scared of it, but there is little information about the real differnces between the Fraudulent admin, and the Real Admin. I AM going to be admin, I cant do spit without it, and temporary and per program methods are not going to suit me. You have been there, done this, What ramifications am I looking at.

Back to zero again , I threw out the first whole install (I was almost done) I am sitting here with a totally updated, a few drivers on, and I cant even use my Instalation Traceing program because it screws up in junctions. If I exclude all the junctions, will I be able to Trace ALL aspects of a program instalation still (total uninstall does before and after compare of files and registry)

I have some 10-15 devices that connect to my computer external (some old) , plus internal things (some old) , I use about 100 pieces of software (many Old), and I have not had to reinstall XP in 10 YEARS. By some sort of miracle I am trying to perfect this install and ALL these programs and All the hardware, so Windows 7 will also be able to go 10Years without a re-install. Only one way to do that, is control the beast entirely.

for any pointers or information you have in this respect. I can Not be the only person who has put the whoopdown on this thing.

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    If you only knew the number of "shims" in Windows, you'd think twice, nah three times before dumping the whole thing. Automatic file replacement? Say goodbye to 32bit programs. When Windows detects a 32 bit program, it secretly redirects programs to a 32 bit DLL, behind your back. The nerve!!
    – surfasb
    Sep 24, 2011 at 1:50
  • Your referrring to logical approprite responces from the OS, i am referring to anything that decides to change (whatever it is) because I hacked a DLL , or because the system false flags. The system attempts things based on what it sees at a kindergarden level for an AI, it will fail when i am overclocking, changing dlls, and adding in non-corporate approved drivers. I would like to know these things NOW, as opposed to bashing into its walls after i have it assembled, what are those items?
    – Psycogeek
    Sep 24, 2011 at 3:28
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    In otherwords, you want it to read your mind. Because any time you have a separate entity making decisions for you, you are either going to have A) less than 100% coverage, or b) false positives. You choose.
    – surfasb
    Sep 24, 2011 at 19:13
  • Read my mind? it could ASK my mind, before it does something that changes it when that was not (nessisarily) the problem. or it could have an AI that is so complex that the OS is thinking so much it cant function normally. Reguardless, I just need to know what it does, what changes it will make on its own. we can go round and round about it's usefullness, or i could find out where and what it is. So simple. please tell me about just ONE of the automatic actions it does, and how.
    – Psycogeek
    Sep 25, 2011 at 1:09
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    Technet and MSDN. More info than you can possibly consume in a lifetime.
    – surfasb
    Sep 25, 2011 at 6:38

1 Answer 1

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It sounds like you're trying to run before you can walk. Windows 7 is not Windows XP. It took you 10 years to get XP the way you like it, don't expect to get 7 right on the first evening.

Some of that old hardware will just not work. period. Windows 7 comes with a new driver model for many devices. The old drivers are not compatible and cannot be made to work, no matter what you do. The manufacturers were not interested in updating the drivers for the devices, and so they will be worthless with Windows 7. That's just too bad. On the other hand, lots of new devices no longer have drivers that work with Windows XP, and in you try to use one in XP you're just as out of luck as you would be trying to use an unsupported device in Windows 7.

Junctions in Windows 7 (NTFS) are like symbolic links in linux. Windows 7 relies on these for (at least) the WinSXS folder. Later on, this folder will appear to take up a bunch of disk space. Don't worry, it won't be really using up that space. It's just re-reporting items that are really located elsewhere, and isn't taking up much space at all. If it's even possible to turn these into "real" folders instead, doing so would result in duplicating 40 to 60 GB of data, possibly more over the life of your system, and of course slow your computer down as all that extra data is being written and updated.

A shim is a library that is provided by an application developer, but can only be activated by Windows. Developers that have programs for Windows XP that don't work well in 7 can provide a Shim to Microsoft. When the shim is installed and the application is run, the shim intercepts calls that tried to use certain features for XP and re-writes them to call the corresponding feature in 7, instead. The point here is that a shim can only be used if a confirmed serious incompatibility exists, and the application developer supports it. If Windows 7 says you need a shim for a program, you need a shim. The only alternative is a newer version of the program, and if that existed the developer probably wouldn't have provided a shim: a normal application update is almost always easier.

The account elevation thing for admin users is really annoying during those first few weeks. All the software installs, tweaks, driver updates, etc, all cause extra clicks. I urge you to give it time though: as you get things down to the way you like them, these extra clicks come less and less often. It comes back to running before you walk: during those first you weeks, you need that extra layer of certainty. By the time you don't need it any more, it kind of goes away on it's own.

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  • run before i walk :-) yes I did try (BLAMMO) , now I am back to the beginning again. I forgot about the Wsxs pointers, they do not show up in the command provided to observe junctions.
    – Psycogeek
    Sep 23, 2011 at 3:55
  • Confirm: A "shim" will always be applied to a program, it is not a Failsafe , it is the compatability from beginning to end. at No time will a shim be applied on the fly?
    – Psycogeek
    Sep 23, 2011 at 3:59
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    I've never seen one applied in practice: the software vendor almost always just releases a new version of the program instead. Sep 23, 2011 at 4:00
  • Yes i understnad that the occurances of admin nessisty will be reduced after i get drivers and programs installed. but for me that never ends, if something angers me in the system, I will pick at it like a scab till it festers gets far worse, then finnaly beat it down kill it and remove it entirely from the system. this process never has ended :-)
    – Psycogeek
    Sep 23, 2011 at 4:10
  • Got it, The Junctions stay. so i am over that (thanks), the One SXS would have to stay for now at least, so they wont be ALL gone just yet, one is as bad as 20. . . . . .
    – Psycogeek
    Sep 23, 2011 at 4:34

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