Help me understand, please...

[Dibs-h]

Perfectly, thank you.
I know I jumped from 8.1 to 10. I wonder if I also moved some other stuff from an even earlier laptop...maybe.

The D: "version" has some (to me) strange files in there : quite a number of dynamic link jobs (e.g. install.res.1028.dll), a few *.ini files, even a setup exe file for a website design program dated 2014!

As little as I knew, I thought dll files lived in Windows/System, so what the hell they're doing here I've not a clue!

Older versions could have installed DLL and other exe files if the option "Install only for me" was either chosen or was the default choice. Some apps still offer that choice and it's possible they might "spread" themselves between "different" places.

If the install choice was "install for everyone\anyone" then they should have gone into windows\system (that sort of location).

Unplug your D drive - use the laptop for a few days, giving most apps a whirl and if all is good, plug it back into another laptop\desktop (just to be super-safe), find all these files and delete them.

I say "super-safe" just in case some of the files are symlinks (very very unlikely) but you don't want to be in that "well, how come no one else ever had them?!!" category.

 

[Cozzer]

Older versions could have installed DLL and other exe files if the option "Install only for me" was either chosen or was the default choice. Some apps still offer that choice and it's possible they might "spread" themselves between "different" places.

If the install choice was "install for everyone\anyone" then they should have gone into windows\system (that sort of location).

Unplug your D drive - use the laptop for a few days, giving most apps a whirl and if all is good, plug it back into another laptop\desktop (just to be super-safe), find all these files and delete them.

I say "super-safe" just in case some of the files are symlinks (very very unlikely) but you don't want to be in that "well, how come no one else ever had them?!!" category.

Many thanks, Dibs-h, for your time and expertise.
Smashing advice, and crystal clear.
Cheers.

 

[MikeJhn]

Always a problem if you leave the windows open.

Off subject a bit, but could be informative if you are considering a change, Mac user for the last twenty years, never had to hard boot or CTR, ALT, DEL or whatever the equivalent on a Mac is, having never had to use it I don't know how too.

Mac give free updates to their operating system and you don't rent the programme that come with it, Pages=Word, Numbers=Excel all updated for free when required which is not often.

 

[Skydivermel]

Mac's are very good. The only issue I find with Mac's is "Apple are very good at selling you a product that solves a problem that you don't really have".

 

[Spectric]

The default location for your documents in Windows 10 is C:\Users\<your account username>\Documents

Just to make it easier for hackers, I keep the OS on a SSD which is C:\ and then another pair of drives for all my work and documents.

 

[Dibs-h]

Just to make it easier for hackers, I keep the OS on a SSD which is C:\ and then another pair of drives for all my work and documents.

Not really from a hacker perspective, more so an ease\convenience perspective - I do partition my SSD\HDD to have 2 partitions (so you see 2 drives).

One for the O\S, apps and a nominal amount of stuff. The other for all my data - and I keep multiple copies of that (on other devices).

I'm with Skidivermel - I don't work an any sector where Mac's (images\video springs to mind) - so given their price point, there isn't a problem they are solving for me. But everyone has a different set of considerations, so whatever works for folk.