Discussion on:

7 Tips for Using System Information

I think you have some useful information here, but it is very difficult to read. Basically I detest the format they force on you. Sometimes there is a "view as blog" link, and I always use that if available.

Reading this mess is an effort in futility.

You should write a short article instead of just giving these screen shots that can't be read easily.

I agree entirly with access@...
Let's have a "view as blog" if you must present it in this way.
Aussie II

I clicked on this article thinking it would highlight the command line "systeminfo" which I use all the time to get Install Date, Most Recent Boot Time, and sometimes BIOS version?? I was mildly surprised it was just another article on msinfo which are everywhere. The GUI version doesn't give the info I use - at least not readily available. AND I agree with the other comment that I cannot view this as a blog, but am forced to go through thumbnails and scroll down to paragraphs - I DO NOT like that format like many others on techrepublic - PLEASE NOTE!
I DO like Greg Shultz's other work so please don't take offense, but hopefully constructive criticism.

I agree with the previous commenter:

I think you have some useful information here, but it is very difficult to read. Basically I detest the format they force on you.

Please post as a PDF

You forget (or conveniently ignore) that we pay by clicking and they get paid for clicks. If we boycott because the format keeps the article from being useful, they don't get the clicks. Maybe they should get the hint.

Got to third screen and decided it is too much work to go through. So sorry you wasted your time putting together an interesting article only to lose it in the presentation format.

I can't read it.

Screenshots are simply too small unless you have a 42 inch monitor!

Click, click click click. Nah. bye

Greg, I'm thinking of becoming a certified computer geek. Could you tell me if there is a certification program that teaches me to be as nasty as these other comment-makers? I'm not getting enough puerile sputum on the political sites.

As a normal non-techie user, thanks for the help understanding the SysInfo.

I'm a full time Techie and most of us a good bunch! Yes I can see their point of view but the constant whinging is infantile...once one person has made the point it becomes somewhat useless to keep harping on...

it is the only way of getting the message through.

I agree that this format is difficult to read and needs to be offered as a continuous blog and/or download.

When are you going to listen to users, the current format is unbelievable, irritating and needs to be more user friendly. Listen to your members / public guys.

"Got to third screen and decided it is too much work to go through. So sorry you wasted your time putting together an interesting article only to lose it in the presentation format."

I agree - this is just too poorly presented to get us to read it. Please figure out how to present it better and it would be nice if we could just receive the whole article in our email so we don't have to go through all the login hoops.

Somehow i hadn't previously learned of this tool. While I second the comments questioning the slideshow format, the instructions for starting it are all I need to get started. I can screw around with it from that point on my own.

Thanks.

Warning, clicking on this link activated my AV defenses!

Usually I only get that reaction from the mothers of teenage and college-age daughters...

Charlie, could you please share if he informed you of a tool that would avoid the nauseous click, click, click, fuhgedabotit! Thanks!

I agree. I also prefer a blog or pdf format so I can keep the documtne for future use. Why not continue to offer options?

Of making us click through so many screens. As others have said, if I could save the article as a pdf or docx I would file it for reference. In this format, there is no way to save it. Pity.

I never bother with articles that are gallery only. Very dumb move for even starting something like this. Who are you trying to reach in this mode?

Having been a PC tech/consultant for over 20 years, I'm the go-to guy for all my friends and family when their computer goes south. They all think I have a magic wand or "the touch" when it comes to fixing their computer woes. This often leads to referrals to their friends and co-workers to repair a misbehaving computer. While I enjoy the "mystery" everyone bestows on me, I'm much more interested in teaching or passing on my knowledge so I don't get the 3am calls from a frantic friend or family member when the computer, whom they have trusted with all the family photos, hundreds of dollars of downloaded music and the kids semester final writing assignment (which he/she worked on for two weeks and is due in the morning), and the blasted thing won't boot up (you did back up all your personal data?). More often than not, when I ask what happened ,they look at me and shrug their shoulders. Safe Mode usually does the trick, and then diving into the event viewer and system information (and device manager). Having this information downloadable would be a great training aide as well as a way to show people how to find signs of impending doom BEFORE it happens.

Can't keep clicking each pic. Too hard to read screen shots - very poor reproduction. My PC will make better copies. I am not going to spend time clicking each picture. I need to down load it so I can read it when I want to. Very poor judgement to use this Gallery approach.

Poor visual quality indicates a lack of product quality control. Not only the utility of the content must be "proofed," but also its visual presentation. The technical editor should ensure the final result is readable in all respects.

This constitutes a technical/visual failure to communicate.

Time to assimilate the responsible droids into the unemployed collective.

There might be some useful information in this but I'll never know because of the dreadful presentation. Make a PDF out of it, PLEASE!!!!

As so many others have already stated, the value of this & other "Tips" that you provide is really diminished when it is presented in this sole format. I would much rather have an option to review it in a similar format to begin with, but once determining that it is something that I would find valuable in the future to refer to (if not now), I would appreciate a downloadable version e.g., .pdf, doc, docx. The included figures are an invaluable part of these tutorials, but as they are provided in this "Tip" they leave a lot to be desired. Please ask "the powers that be" to rethink their current presentation format.
Thanks; jmk-nbsc

Cant read your screen shots and I would like to see this information could be very useful, need a download format

I'm no longer consuming any more of these so-called articles in this format. You generally have good info, condense it and put it in a blog. Enough already.

These tips were presented a week or so ago and many of us told Mr. Shultz to present the material in an easy to print out format for future reference.He is usually responsive to readers needs so it is a surprise to see the material once again presented in a picture gallery format.

Surely 'asked', or 'suggested', or even 'requested' would be more mannered.

he hasn't listened. Hence the "told" and stronger. Much like a child who doesn't listen. At least the other authors here provide a link to a blog post or .pdf. I've actually enjoyed his articles in the past, but lately he has become stuck on this ridiculous format. And, he took us to task for suggesting it. Not very customer oriented.

Thank you for your support. I wasn't trying to be insolent with my comment and I guess I really didn't give it a thought when wording my comment. Let's hope they do it as a PDF or other downloadable and printable method in the future.

My pleasure. You didn't come across as insolent. Frustrated, perhaps but not insolent. PDF would be great. They used to do articles with screenshots and also offer a downloadable pdf. That was great. Saved me the trouble of copying/pasting into Word.

Greag Shultz's articles have always been useful to me and I used to look forward to seeing his work. When I was active in IT, I saved many of his articles (as well as other author's) as I found them tremendously useful in my job. But, I can't deal with these galleries. They may work for pictures of Mars and other things like that, but not for technical articles. They are still a pain for pictures but short of offering the pics in a downloadable ZIP file, I don't know how else they can present those.

Well, perhaps you are correct. At any rate, we suggested, requested and asked to no avail.

TechRepublic has always created a variety of galleries, articles, and downloads and we will continue to do so. This was a gallery, created by Greg at my request.
For the record, I agree that the current gallery presentation is a terrible user experience. The TR editorial staff has been begging for a better, more modern, treatment - perhaps someday soon.

while it's good to know the PTBs feel the same way, if we agree the galleries are terrible then why create content in that format? This isn't the first gallery to draw criticism of the form, just the latest and loudest. Isn't it a waste of the author's time and TR's money to create content few will read? It appears to generate more ill-will than value. Do you stick by a terrible format because you can republish them on other CNET sites where galleries are more popular?

It's not like galleries are the only option. Galleries with few slides of screenshots could as easily be presented in the standard TR article format. There have been plenty of articles with more than the seven screenshots that comprised this one. At least mandate a downloadable .PDF. TR used to do this more frequently. Would creating one take that much longer?

Part of the problem is the galleries that consist of screenshots with absolutely no explanation of what we're looking at. The most recent example was the Office 2012 preview gallery, with a half-dozen screenshots and absolutely no text. These crop up far too often, although it's not as bad as when Adrian Kingsley-Hughes had a patent on them a couple of years ago.

TR has indeed always used a variety of formats. It has also dropped ineffective ones before. 'Thumbs', member blogs, TROLOV, audio interviews with members have all gone to the Bit Bucket, and I still have a couple of bags of TR points I'd like to redeem. Until the gallery format can be improved, consider putting it on hiatus.

Thank you for your comment. I guess the comments show we have an interest in what you have to say but would like to be able to have a record in an easier format to work with. Since the Portable Document Format has become ubiquitous in recent history it is a wonder it hasn't been adapted on this forum.

I now probably only read 1 out of four.Its like reading a book where each chapter comes bound seperately

This format sucks!!!

but it's difficult to copy/print. I suspect that's the reason. It will be interesting to see if the format drives people away onto other tech forums. I suspect it might. The format has been bitterly complained about since it was introduced but TR do nothing. They cannot have failed to note this so the hard-to-copy must be why (and yes, I'm being diplomatic).

As for the topic itself; very pretty but ultimately useless. Here is one place I can see all the technical info on my machine, but cannot alter anything. To remove a non-working device, or stop a startup program, stop or start a service etc., I need to load up something else. So I am far more likely to use a 3rd party tweaker than this, even if I'm not wanting to change anything.

where I paraphrased his arrogant, condescending response (in a previous article) to our requests for a better presentation. Not cool, Shultz. Way to listen to your readers.