Share via


Where did "Local Settings"; and "Application Data" go or "Where do I put my Outlook signatures on Vista?"

I have to admit that I am being steadily won over by Windows Vista. I was running pre-RTM builds, and while I recognized some pleasing improvements, I was not exactly overwhelmed. I hoped that RTM would hold some surprises.

Now, I have been running RTM for a couple of weeks, and I am starting to get the Windows Vista vibe. I noticed a pretty big improvement in performance over pre-RTM builds and over Windows XP. It was very apparent. What I did not know until later is that there is a name for it:

SuperFetch

Yeah, we've actually named the perf improvement feature. I was as surprised (not surprised) as you are. Basically, your apps will load faster. This led me to two other features of which I was unaware:

ReadyDrive and ReadyBoost

Too bad that my current 1GB memory stick is not supported by ReadBoost :(

So, with Office 2007 installed on Vista, I wanted to copy my cool Outlook signature over to my new installation. Problem was: I couldn't find the Signatures directory anywhere below my c:\users\myname directory. I searched and nosed about until I found the following:

"Application Data" is now in:

C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming

and "Local Settings" is now in:

C:\Users\myname\AppData\Local

 Rock Thought for the Day:

I really don't like to be a bandwagon jumper (my obvious bandwagon jumping for my employer, Microsoft, excluded), especially when it comes to music. It's not that I set out to reject the mainstream, I just use a gauge on how tightly I embrace the mainstream to keep myself in check. But, how mainstream is Jack White really? No matter. I've embraced his musical vibe completely. That he famously thumbed his nose at the guitar elitists by using a Montgomery Ward guitar made him immediately appealing to me.

My mother bought a lot of our clothes at Wards when I was a kid- there was a store in Blaine and another in Robbinsdale (both in Minnesota). She bought me courdoroy pants there, but they never really fit or looked right on me if anything ever could as an awkward kid. Misfit. Awkward. No wonder I identify with the elf who wants to be a dentist and the island of misfit toys in the Rudolf the Reindeer stop animation special.

Jack White is an unlikely rock star, which is what usually makes one a rock star. Musically, I believe he just follows his Muse. I truly doubt he has a master plan. He's analogous to a maverick radio DJ that finally has the guts to lock the booth and just play the songs from his ecclectic music collection...because he likes them. He tells his PD (program director) that he's only leaving if the security squad can break down the booth door. Fans are loyal to a DJ like that.

To some extent, Beck could be put in the same category as Jack. But, his songs are just not as consistently good. Sorry, Beck. I love your creativity and that you are as unlikely a rock star- awkward even, but I don't find myself humming as many of your songs or trying to play them on my 1978 Washburn.

Give a listen to one of Jack's side projects (I think everything he does, including the White Stripes, is essentially a side project) the Raconteurs and judge for yourself.

Rock On