The first thing I do when I sit in front of (or connect remotely to) a Windows box with intention to accomplish some work, I:
- Disable intrusive themes, sounds, animated mouse cursors, heavy wallpapers.
- Enable showing folder path in title and statusbar, showing file extensions, showing hidden and system files, and managing html files and associated folders independently of each other.
- Set file name and folder name completion key to tab (9) in command processor settings in the registry, so I can use the command line interface.
- Disable all shortcut keys to accessibility options.
Only then can I get to getting things done. If I happen to be logged as someone else, I usually take care to make sure the person knows what I've done and can reverse it (if they so choose). But sometimes, I just say I refuse to work for free on such a hideously misconfigured computer.
For some reason, people who've observed me doing it (and heard what I had to say about the machine's users while I was doing it) think I'm not just condescending but weird.
Why do I call a cutesy configured computer, optimized for avoiding work "secretary mode"? To explain that, I'll have to go into the realities of universal conscription. That will wait for a later date, but be sure I'm not a chauvinist - it's just life's harsh realities.
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