How about writing an OS primarily for - computer- use? There are so many
"flavors" of Vista that unless somebody's a computer professional it's very
easy to get confused and flummoxed.
I upgraded from Media Center to Home Premium, since there is no Vista
Professional and using the camparison charts MS provides seemed to meet my
needs, spending more money for that than I have for any OS upgrade,
including from ME to 2000 to XP Pro. Upgrade Advisor told me nothing in the
four times I ran it which suggested that wouldn't be an option. And yes, for
many people the cost is a/the determinate factor; why be forced to pay lots
more for things that are useless to someone for how they use their
computers?
Now Vista has obliterated the wireless network connection I had with my
laptop via my router and is cryptic about wht I need to do to get that set
up again, denied me access to setting up Meeting Space and some other things
even though I'm the only user of my computer and have administrator rights,
put some bogus user icon on my login screen with the same name but no
acceptable password where I have to Switch Users every time to even log in
to a computer no one else uses and was working fine under XP SP2, and
generally continues to be a daily pain in the ass trying to figure out
what's wrong and having to hunt down ways to fix it.
Of course I could go back to XP and recreate years of updates, settings, try
to find the apps I downloaded from the Internet and reinstall them, plus all
the apps I was using without any problems just days ago, and get my home
network connection set up again, but all that would take days or maybe
(shudder) weeks.
Or I could go back, take several hours reinstalling XP Media Center as it
existed on my machine when I bought it a year and two months ago, then spend
eight more hours trying to upgrade to Vista Home Premium again and hope this
time it worked right, and then more days getting everything set up and
reinstalled (and uninstalled from the HP factory install) but who has
another week to dedicate to that? What about the actual work I need to use
my computer for? I don't have the time, or the perseverence, to fall more
than a week more behind.
As someone who installed Vista last Wednesday and is still trying to get the
glitches and foulups fixed (and having little luck from using these usenet
groups also) I can understand why someone would get po'ed with Vista, and
with someone who says "buy an Apple" or something else like that as a
solution. Perhaps someone who'd say something like that is a holdover from
the old days when, as a rule, techies were people who didn't have very good
people skills. But frustration causes some of us to enjoy "smart ass humor"
less than we ordinarily would.
I can also understand why someone would see all this as a way of shafting
MS's own loyal customers who aren't major corporations or don't have the
money to buy new computers with Vista already installed and then go through
the rigamarole of installing all their apps, work, doenloads, music,
pictures, etc. and settings all over again. I pretty much feel that way
myself.
There should, IMO, be a Vista Home, a Vista Pro/Media Center/Tablet PC
(since they were all supersets of Pro supposedly), and a Vista Server. The
rest is just a way of confusing customers so MS can charge more money, again
IMO, like the cable company, the unregulated utilities, or car companies.
"You need this option, or that option, or this or that in combination with
this, which will cost you extra, but there's a "current promotion" which
will save you some money, but unfortunately it's Tuesday afternoon and the
moon isn't out so you're not eligible for it this week, etc."
And don't get me started on not being able to clean install with just a CD
of a former OS without having to install it over first, like it's always
been.
Vista as packaged just seems to be MS's middle finger salute to it's loyal
customers who aren't major megabusinesses or who can afford to buy new
computers with Vista already installed, and having to add to that insult
with support that isn't, or is bitchy, is a lot for anyone to put up with.
IMO.
John
"Jupiter Jones [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:...
> "claim elsewhere you can install Vista Home Premium over XP Pro."
> Please post the source.
> You can use windows Easy Transfer and install Vista, but you an not
> perform what you want because it is a downgrade.
> This is as it has been in the past and is not new with Vista.
>
> "yet they can do a "upgrade""
> Yes, and as has already been said, you can not downgrade.
> They are not the same regardless the $ spent.
> That is one of the many differences between an OS written primarily for
> the home and another written for business use.
>
> As for "Give me a TECHNICAL reason..."
> You would have to ask Microsoft for the details.
>
> As for "shafting its customers"
> Some feel that way, but it is you that made the choice.
>
> --
> Jupiter Jones [MVP]
> http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
> http://www.dts-l.org
>
>
> "Adam Albright" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> On Sat, 3 Feb 2007 21:52:34 -0700, "Jupiter Jones [MVP]"
>> <> wrote:
>>
>>>You are attempting a downgrade by going from Windows XP Pro to Windows
>>>Vista
>>>Home Premium.
>>
>> Laughable comment. I paid MORE MONEY for XP Pro then people paid for
>> XP Home, yet they can do a "upgrade". As yet, nobody has gave a
>> logical reason why Microsoft is f...ing their customers that they
>> already made MORE money from. You sure haven't.
>>
>> Get this, I saw a least one MVP claim elsewhere you can install Vista
>> Home Premium over XP Pro.
>>
>> Give me a TECHNICAL reason why Microsoft is shafting its customers
>> over this. Lots of luck.
>>
>>>The operative word here is "Home".
>>>You have some choices which you seem to reject two:
>>>1. Perform a Clean Install using Windows Easy Transfer to save your data
>>>and
>>>settings.
>>
>> How? From the typical and utterly useless Microsoft documentation if
>> you can ever call the garbage that Microshaft scatters in dozens of
>> places all over their web site it appears that "Easy Transfer" is part
>> of Vista so in other words you can't unless and until its on your
>> system. If not, how then?
>>
>> For people that have extremely complex systems like I do,(over 2 TB of
>> applications and files), a clean install is a nightmere and a poor
>> choice.
>>
>>>2. Returning Windows Vista Home Premium and purchasing Windows Vista
>>>Business or Ultimate. Enterprise is probably not an option available to
>>>you.
>>
>> Your solution is pay more money for features I don't want and never
>> will use. Explain how that makes any sense.
>>
>>>3. Returning Vista and stay with Windows XP Pro.
>>
>> Anybody have any USEFUL suggestions or is this newsgroup just infested
>> with Microshaft butt kissers?
>>
>