I don’t need quite the workhorse Jane does, because mine doesn’t do graphics so often, and words ARE mostly what I do. But the one thing I MUST have above any other consideration is my trackpoint mouse, that little button that sits between GH and B, and with which I can perform anything anybody can do with a mouse except scroll. It’s so automatic, so -keystroke- oriented that were I to lose it, I’d been months learning how to cope with a mouse or touchpad; and alas, since childhood I’ve had a tremor in my right hand that increases in measure as I attempt to fine down a point. Curiously enough I fence and do archery righthanded and have no trouble aiming; I can shoot righthanded or with both hands (shotgun). I do righthanded cursive. And I can model clay or any such thing. It’s purely targeting a mouse that drives me bananas.
I suspect its a neurological defect matched to the neurological problem with my right eye’s tracking—same side, same issue: my world curves like a space station when I look to the far edge, if I don’t struggle to control it. And the right hand does exactly the same thing: it goes where it thinks the target is, but my personal space warps visually, and the hand shakes. Ptui. It’s a bi-otch. I had one surgery, aged 10, trying to sort it out, but it didn’t correct the problem. I’m used to it. But no way in hades do I want to change pointing devices and cope with that problem every time I use a mouse, because the company decided to phase out the trackpoint.
Its usage has been getting sparser at Dell, and Dell and IBM are the only two that offer same. I’ve been with Dell over 15 years, and know how to get good service out of them if it comes to that.
So…I’ll have another Latitude, a machine that’s the son of the current model, only with twice the hard drive (500 gig: Jane calls that scarily small)—ha! not for me!, an Intel i5 instead of 2, and enough room for memory to exceed 4 gig if I someday need to; with the usual stuff, a decent 15.5 screen, a keyboard I’m way used to, in my sleep, plus an HDMI jack so Jane and I can both display on the big screen and discuss stuff. This can come in handy.
It’ll arrive end-of-May-ish. And then I’ll have to bite the bullet and install 10,000 programs. The good news is—we have Carbonite backup, so data movement is not going to be that bad. And this current machine is still working, which will let me take it where I don’t want to take the other. Won’t look any different…except I may splurge and get a ‘skin’ for it, something anime and outrageous.
I’ve had to restore 2 different computers from Carbonite and that service is certainly a lifesaver.
Right now, before you have to restore, make absolutely sure that all file types are backed up. (I’m sure you’ve done this already). I found that some PDF files weren’t being backed up because they were created by a program that used a “Send to PDF Printer” function to create the PDF and it was marked as a temporary system file by said idiot system. Quicken is the program that comes to mind, and I can’t recall if the Export to PDF function in Family Tree Maker does the same.
Before you start the restore take some time to review exactly what you want to restore and in what order. I’m sure you have customised your software and those settings will have to be restored as well unless you want to spend some days swearing at the software getting it back to the way you like it. A lot of packages keep customisations in a hidden Appdata folder. You probably already have the “view hidden files” turned on and if you don’t, turn it on.
Some truly ugly pieces of software keep customisations in the registry. In which case, good luck.
I’m probably telling you all the things you know already, in which case, I’ll disappear into the woodwork.
Rosemary
No, Rosemary, this old DOS user needs reminders. Being an old DOS user, I always keep ‘hidden files’ turned on and ‘full path’ visible, but I’ve never had to actually use Carbonite, so this will be a revelation. Your notes will be by my side as I do it.
Something else about Carbonite. I have to force my big FTM files to be backed up. I seem to remember they’re done daily and if it was backed up in the morning, when you shut FTM down for the night then the backup isn’t scheduled until the next day. Look at what was modified and then right-click on the file, Carbonite option, back up immediately.
Do you have sync’d files with FTM? If so it is imperative you have the FTM Appdata folder backed up at the same time as the FTM file and the media folder associated with that file.
THANK you, Rosemary!
Better yet, use the Backup Command to create an FTMB file that contains the data file, the media folder and the sync control file all in one and when you are ready to go just copy the Backup file to new compy and then use the Restore Command. It creates a new file, handles the links to the media file and if you have the sync controls sets up the links with the tree on Ancestry. This assumes FTM 2012 with the latest patches 21.0.0.723. Earlier versions of 2012 didn’t capture the sync control files. Setting up the Ancestry links can take a while, even for a tree with 4500 people.
I’ve used restore and had no problems. You might want to try it out just to make sure it works.
And before doing a final backup, compact the file.
Compact often – that program is the only one I’ve met where taking stuff *out* makes the file larger. (I’m using it as the interface with Ancestry, because the program I prefer doesn’t.) Also it’s a system resource hog and is slow.
Yay for the new compy. And I’m glad you were able to find the right keyboard. I myself have hand tremors and find that I am useless when confronted with the “dot” or a pad for lack of fine motor control. Heaven help me if there’s a mouse with a huge trackball. I use a medium-sized, standard mouse with my laptop and desktop (and thank heaven for the wireless!)
Rosemary, if CJ can’t use that advice, trust I can! Now I have to check out Carbonite. Thanks!
WOW: there are other options besides Carbonite. If you don’t have an immense amount of data to save then think of a combination of Dropbox, Google Drive, Skydrive, etc. Mozy used to be good also. I haven’t looked at what’s out there in a couple of years.
You could try a Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet with a pen stylus. Iirc, I think you got a tablet last year. It should do. This might be easier at times than a mouse.
I prefer a stylus and tablet. But I’d love a good way to keep near the keyboard when typing text — and I hate how Windows makes you enter numbers for special characters.
I agree, BCS—the pen is easier to manipulate, and it’s certainly something I’d use if I couldn’t get the trackpoint. The weirdness is that the hand (right) I use for mousing is on my ‘orientation uncertain’ side, so I can’t put my hand BESIDE the keyboard surface and see what I’m doing, because I can only see ‘straight ahead’ on that side, at that angle: the bottom quarter of my vision exists, but if I don’t want it to warp and lose it, I have to rely only on peripheral vision on the bottom 1/4 of my side vision unless I want to turn my head, and then I can’t look at the screen. It’s a pita. If I were left-handed, life would be a shade easier on some things.
CJ, you touch type, don’t you? If you just feel for your mouse and watch the screen, that might work?
Trackballs take a little getting used to, but they’re big enough that if you don’t mind moving your hand away from the keyboard, muscle memory can find them. And they take no more space than they sit on–an advantage on a “well used” 😉 desk/table top, or when perched on the arm of a comfy padded chair.
ISTR there were once real keyboards with the button thingy, though I would expect them to be PS/2. While at your favorite stationary workstation, one could be plugged in and take wear-n-tear off the more delicate laptop keyboard.
I’ve used a trackball in preference to a mouse for the last twenty or so years. I like Logitech’s Trackman Wheel (not the ‘Marble’) – it fits my hand very well, and the newer ones are wireless. It sits just within my peripheral vision, next to the keyboard. Biggest problem is that it picks up dust and lint on the little balls under the trackball itself, and has to be cleaned out every day or so (the eraser end of a standard wood pencil is handy for getting the ball out).
Trackballs are my fallback for the desktop office machine.
One thing I like about Dell is their repair policy is liberal about new keyboards…I destroy 3-4 of them per machine.
A note for those like CJ that like the little trackpoint sticks: you can get them on separate keyboards as well. Unicomp, who are the remnant of what was once IBM’s keyboard division (they were spun off into Lexmark when IBM divested their peripheral business, and then spun off from Lexmark in turn), sell the same type of keyboard that IBM computers always came with; the loud, clicky, but very precise keyboards. You can order models with a trackpoint nubbin, since that was also an IBM technology that they still make.
I have one without a trackpoint, since I don’t really use them, but the option IS there.
Thank you. I thought I remembered those. So my brain hasn’t turned to “Swiss Cheese”* quite yet.
* Curious that. I’m sure the Swiss wouldn’t call it that. “Ementhaler”, perhaps?
Love my Wacom tablet. Only problem is that since it’s 1/4″ higher than the desk, the cat wants to sit on it. Hard to move that pen through the belly fur…
Trackpoint and Trackball Mice — A quick check of Amazon shows several models of trackpoint keyboards, most from Lenovo, but there are others. There are also trackpoint caps in red or cyan blue. Based on these, Dell, IBM, HP, and Lenovo still use trackpoint keyboards for desktop and laptop / notebook computers.
I also looked at trackballs. Kensington offers models that are ambidextrous; you can use either your left or right hand. Logitech’s models all seem to be right hand only, which I found strange. (I’m right handed, but there are lots of people, Jane included, IIRC, who are left handed.)
I saved a trackball to my cart for later. Now I’m curious. — I use a regular mouse or my Wacom tablet, even with my laptop. (Reminder to self to pack a stylus with my laptop, to see if it’ll work with my trackpad. I dislike the laptop trackpad, my hand jars it while typing.)
I had an early Logitech that was rectangular. You could turn it around (awkwardly) and use it left-handed. The rollers that contacted the ball were soft rubber, though, and were a !@#$%^&*( to clean.
The ‘Marble’ is ambidextrous, though. The ball is in the middle.
You’ll love your new Latitude – I upgraded from a Latitude D630 last year to a D6520 and it’s really a nice machine. The latest and greatest is the D6530, IIRC. These days I won’t buy any hard drive smaller than 500GB, but it’s really easy to size up when 1TB drives get a little cheaper. For a machine I count on for work, I won’t buy anything but a Latitude; they’re real workhorses and I’ve never had screwy problems with any of the 4 that I’ve owned like I have with other brands that I’ve bought for “play” applications. BTW, all 4 still work; 2 are just obsolete, and the D630 didn’t have built in 10 key pad, which I really appreciate since my computer time is spent in QuickBooks, Quicken, Excel and tax programs. And yeah, I usually end up replacing the keyboards once or twice, but after I watched the guy at my old job do it, I’ve done it myself since then. I upgraded the hard drives on the D610 & the D630 too. Wasn’t successful on DH’s D400 though…
Windows 7 now has a built in transfer of files from the old computer to the new computer that I’ve used a couple of times with a reasonable amount of success. It will move files across a network, but it’s faster if you happen to have a Laplink cable left over from PC Mover (which are now USB rather than parallel port cables like they used to be back in the 90’s).
Morven, thanks for mentioning the IBM “clicky” keyboards. I built a desktop computer a few weeks ago and right now we just have a spare Acer keyboard that was floating around hooked up to it. My DH says he wants a keyboard that clicks, and I wasn’t sure where to look for that since it’s been years since I had reason to buy a desktop keyboard.
Hahahaha! 🙂 A late acquaintance of mind had his rig configured to make the sound of an old Selectric(tm) typewriter when a key was pressed.
Does it ding when you hit return?
Terabyte hard drives for desktops are running about $70. 2TB is around $120.
You can put a *whole lot* of stuff on a terabyte drive. I’ve used about 50GB on the drive I have.
I totally understand being attached to your peripherals. 🙂 When something works exactly the way you want it to, it is hard to settle for using anything less.
I gave up on Dell keyboard eons ago – I chew through them at high speed too, but mostly it was because my hands get tired after a full day’s work. I switched to the Microsoft ergonomic keyboards (the 4000 series and later the 7000 series) and they lasted about 3 years before they needed replacing, but were much easier on my hands that a standard rectangular keyboard. About a year ago, I switched to the Kinesis Advantage, which is a truly odd looking ergonomic keyboard. Hand fatigue issues have vanished and my typing speed was up 20% after the first month (it took a good 2 weeks to get used to using it). I’m now typing comfortably at 108-110 wpm and can get up to 115-118 if I push. The Advantage is really pricey, but it has a 10 yr warranty and apparently it really does last 10 years easily, and they have a refurbish service where they’ll fix it all up and replace anything that needs replacing for $80 once you are out of warranty, and users say they regularly get another 10 years out of their keyboard after refurbishing theirs at the 10 year mark.
It really is a strange-looking keyboard though, and it does take a couple of weeks to get comfortable with it, but between the speed boost and the comfort and lack of hand fatigue, I’m a convert and I won’t use anything else. Love it, despite the odd look.
http://www.techi.com/2013/03/14-amazing-steampunk-keyboards/
Have you looked into standalone keyboards that have the trackpoint built in? I’m seeing a number of aftermarket (IBM, Lenovo, etc.)ones available. You might need to futz around until you find one that suits you, but you needn’t go without.
Thanks!
The computer model, btw, is the Dell Latitude E5630…
really not looking forward to the loading programs part—but the rest of it is exciting. I can’t recall how old the current E5500 is, but this is its 3rd or 4th keyboard and second fan-heatsink combo, so that probably says something.
At about 100 retail per keyboard and also for the fan heat/sink installed, I probably came out ok on the in-house service policy.
I’m assuming your new toy is running Win 8. There was a column by Walter Mossberg in the 7th May edition of the Wall Street Journal reviewing a couple of inexpensive programs that will let you completely bypass the new Win 8 interface and restore it to what you are used to with the older versions of Windows.
Ahem. There is another alternative one might use to avoid the new Win8 UI. 😉 (See avatar.)
I love the skins you can get for computers… I have one on my Lenovo mini, my Xoom tablet, and my Zune music player. They are all green or purple swirly things.
Actually my new toy is running Win 7 pro, which suits me fine. And I’m going to get myself an anime skin, just for fun. Latitudes are so grey-flannel-business-suit.
Kawaii!!!!