Microsoft Rant!

[qbee42]

Okay, deep breath, head between my knees.

This isn't a request for help (although I'd take it), but I need to rant before I kill someone. This is one of those "simple" tasks that becomes a nightmare due to the evil, despicable, and short sighted practices of Microsoft. This isn't about Windows and whether it is good or bad, but simply another tale of woe related to business as usual from our Redmond friends. Here is the sad story:

One of my clients has an office machine running Windows XP Home. They have XP because two of their mission critical applications will not run on Vista. They have the Home edition of XP because it came bundled with their crappy computer. The Home edition has been okay so far, although Pro would have made my life a little easier.

Now they are switching to a new major software package that they need for their business. This package requires Pro. Bother. No big deal, they have an extra copy of Pro that belongs to a now dead computer. Plan A was to install that on the Home edition machine. That sounds simple enough, but no, the full install XP Pro disk will not allow an upgrade installation. If I use that, I will have to wipe out the current machine and reload, a task that will cost more than the value of the computer.

I told my client that they will have to pony up the $200 for a bonafide Microsoft XP Pro Upgrade CD. From my standpoint, it should make life easier since the new Upgrade CD comes with Service Pack 2. That will save the grief of having to upgrade with an earlier version, and reapply the patches.

I had to order the CD. I got it today and tried to install it. The upgrader thinks the new CD is older than the software on the computer. It refuses to do the upgrade. I can't simply tell it that I know better, and to please go ahead and upgrade anyway. My "simple" upgrade task has turned into a Mongolian Goat F**K of the first order. We paid them for the OS that came with the computer, we paid for the full install of XP, and now we have paid for the Upgrade version. What more do they want? My first child?

It shouldn't be this hard to do an upgrade from Home to Pro. It didn't used to be this hard. Even Linux isn't this hard.

I suppose I should resign myself to hours of research on the Internet, followed by having to reformat the disk and starting over. At that point the Upgrade CD becomes useless, since it requires an existing OS. Talk about Catch 22.

I'm going to go beat my head on the wall for a while. Bother!

Tom

[hyo silver]

Pardon my ignorance, but doesn't Microsoft have some sort of help line staffed with friendly, helpful and smart people to get you though this?

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by hyo silver

Pardon my ignorance, but doesn't Microsoft have some sort of help line staffed with friendly, helpful and smart people to get you though this?

[KK6PD]

WWWWWhy yes, and its about 1 am in Bombay, and I am sure Apoo the Microsoft Outsource Night Shift supervisor would be very happy to help you sir!!!

I can just hear, and barely understand him now...

Just go out format your drive Sir, The "BillGatesman" told me thats the correct way to scre... oops, I mean, get you back on your feet, Thank you for using Microsoft products!!

Been there, done that, I truely feel your pain!!!

Smart Software ...Oxymoron # 17335.b

KK6PD

[qbee42]

Thanks for your sympathy. Right now I'm creating a new installation CD by slipstreaming SP3 into the existing setup files. Hopefully that will make the Repair Console happy and let me proceed. Otherwise I'm going to get a big tube of KY for those Mongolian Goats...

Tom

[ctbering]

Oh my, I feel your pain. Everyone in the business community married to Microsoft has to struggle with the decision of what OS to get when replacing new computers with old ones, XP or Vista. Microsoft's fascination with two XP versions, home and Pro, has been a source of aggravation for every small business that didn't order Pro (without the bundled packages of software programs that come from each computer manufacturer) even though the customer or business manager doesn't want or expect it.

I switched to Apple at home. The OSX operating system works without glitches and they have a very good support network. I have experienced some issues with them but no where near the problems I had with Microsoft....

[qbee42]

Yes, for better or worse many of us are married to Microsoft. I run mostly Linux, but I still dual boot to Windows on some of my machines, but only because some software is available only on Windows. Most of it I can run in WINE, but not all.

Part of the problem with the whole XP Home vs Pro thing is the way licenses are packaged with computers. Microsoft's byzantine licensing system makes it hard for end users to get the right option at a reasonable price, and if the end user goes cheap and decides to upgrade later, god help them.

You know, I'm starting to like those Mongolian Goats...

Tom

[markderail]

A whole new computer would have been the solution, with the added bonus of a warranty, and better performance.

Since they're a company (like myself) if they can't fork the cash, they can rent from DELL three-year lease.

With your time, assuming you're billing every minute spent on this cluster-fsck, and the cost of that upgrade, it's one computer right there.


Seriously, what I do now all the time - VMWare - with the free version.
Customer is cheap? Have them work through VMWare...two days tops...they'll find the money.

[qbee42]

Very true. Computers are pretty much a "no user serviceable parts" appliance these days. Even at my tech rate, which is a lot less than my design engineer rate, there isn't much I can do without exceeding the cost of the machine.

Usually the kicker is the additional cost of setting up a new machine: transferring files, installing programs, printer drivers, etc. This sort of user expects everything to be exactly like it was on their old computer, and they end up paying a lot for it.

If it were a Linux system, I could just back up their home directory and be done with it, but Windows hides configuration settings here and there and everywhere.

Tom

[thepolarcrew]

Originally Posted by qbee42

Okay, deep breath, head between my knees.

This isn't a request for help (although I'd take it), but I need to rant before I kill someone. This is one of those "simple" tasks that becomes a nightmare due to the evil, despicable, and short sighted practices of Microsoft. This isn't about Windows and whether it is good or bad, but simply another tale of woe related to business as usual from our Redmond friends. Here is the sad story:

One of my clients has an office machine running Windows XP Home. They have XP because two of their mission critical applications will not run on Vista. They have the Home edition of XP because it came bundled with their crappy computer. The Home edition has been okay so far, although Pro would have made my life a little easier.

Now they are switching to a new major software package that they need for their business. This package requires Pro. Bother. No big deal, they have an extra copy of Pro that belongs to a now dead computer. Plan A was to install that on the Home edition machine. That sounds simple enough, but no, the full install XP Pro disk will not allow an upgrade installation. If I use that, I will have to wipe out the current machine and reload, a task that will cost more than the value of the computer.

I told my client that they will have to pony up the $200 for a bonafide Microsoft XP Pro Upgrade CD. From my standpoint, it should make life easier since the new Upgrade CD comes with Service Pack 2. That will save the grief of having to upgrade with an earlier version, and reapply the patches.

I had to order the CD. I got it today and tried to install it. The upgrader thinks the new CD is older than the software on the computer. It refuses to do the upgrade. I can't simply tell it that I know better, and to please go ahead and upgrade anyway. My "simple" upgrade task has turned into a Mongolian Goat F**K of the first order. We paid them for the OS that came with the computer, we paid for the full install of XP, and now we have paid for the Upgrade version. What more do they want? My first child?

It shouldn't be this hard to do an upgrade from Home to Pro. It didn't used to be this hard. Even Linux isn't this hard.

I suppose I should resign myself to hours of research on the Internet, followed by having to reformat the disk and starting over. At that point the Upgrade CD becomes useless, since it requires an existing OS. Talk about Catch 22.

I'm going to go beat my head on the wall for a while. Bother!

Tom

How come you didn't just back up to an external. Do a clean install and get the back up.

I have done my Home additions to Office that way and had no problems.

Go with a second hard drive and dual boot?

Can't believe they are still working with the Home addition. God I hate dealing with overseas people at this point to. My HP crashed when I tweaked after a bug. I kept on them until I got some one who spoke english.