Windows 7 won’t eliminate XP coverage

By Fred Langa Recent reader feedback had lots to say about the relative coverage of Windows 7 versus Windows XP. It’s no surprise that Win7 users have lots of questions about this new operating system, but Windows XP problems are still with us and need answers.

No Windows XP content in this newsletter?

Madeleine King uses XP and is concerned about ongoing coverage.

• “I suppose it was inevitable that once Windows 7 came out, it would tend to dominate the newsletter, and XP-related content would become less and less. So much so, that a recent issue had no XP-related content at all.

  “I have been a long-time subscriber to Windows Secrets and, before that, to the LangaList Newsletter. I (and I’m sure many other subscribers) still use Windows XP and don’t want Windows 7. So, what’s in it for us now? “
  

Glad you asked, Madeleine! I understand what you’re saying. It’s a problem that comes up every time there’s a major new version of Windows. It’s to be expected that questions about Win7 will increase as PC users switch to the new OS. Except for whatever security issues may arise, there are very few truly new XP issues. On the whole, after a decade of constant use and exploration, XP itself is pretty well wrung out.

In any case, I’ll continue to answer XP questions here for as long as readers continue to send them in. I’ll try for a good balance — while some columns will have mostly Win7 content (especially in these early Win7 days), others won’t.

Please remember that you already have a decade’s worth of time-tested XP information at your fingertips. The Windows Secrets advanced search page can lead to answers for just about any problem you might encounter with XP. And you’ll always find a wealth of information in the Windows XP forum in the Windows Secrets Lounge.

Problems ‘pinning’ items to the Win7 Taskbar

Kevin Nolan is a bit annoyed with Win7 — and with me!

• “I cannot believe you have not come across a serious shortcoming with ‘Pin to Taskbar’ in Win7. There is a hidden list of default names that cannot be contained in another program’s name, or else pinning to the Taskbar will be denied.
  
  

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