Why no W7 newsgroup from Microsoft?

Where can I post Windows 7 queries? Why is Microsoft refusing to include a
W7 newsgroup? Do they have an alternative means of answering user
questions? Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!

There are no Microsoft Win 7 groups.
Some newsgroup servers carry alt.windows7.general

The support forum for the Windows 7 is:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/...egory/w7itpro/
or
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/...egory/windows7

Other forums are:
http://www.sevenforums.com/
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/forumdisplay.php?f=16
http://www.w7forums.com/


--
Dave N.
MS-MVP (Mail)
Windows 7 Ultimate
http://download.live.com/wlmail



"Paul H" <> wrote in message
news:#...
> Where can I post Windows 7 queries? Why is Microsoft refusing to include
> a W7 newsgroup? Do they have an alternative means of answering user
> questions? Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!

"Paul H" <> wrote:

>Where can I post Windows 7 queries?

Microsoft has not created any Win7 newsgroups in the
microsoft.public.* hierarchy. They want everybody to use the web
forums. You can use the Usenet group alt.windows7.general

> Why is Microsoft refusing to include a W7 newsgroup?

They haven't actually said, but they appear to dislike newsgroups and
want to replace them with web forums.

> Do they have an alternative means of answering user questions?
> Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!

Yeah, that seems to be exactly what they have in mind.

--
Tim Slattery

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

On Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:52:29 -0500, Paul H wrote:

> Where can I post Windows 7 queries? Why is Microsoft refusing to
> include a W7 newsgroup? Do they have an alternative means of answering
> user questions? Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!

Ask MS.

In the meantime, try alt.windows7.general.

On Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:52:29 -0500, "Paul H"
<> wrote:

> Where can I post Windows 7 queries? Why is Microsoft refusing to include a
> W7 newsgroup? Do they have an alternative means of answering user
> questions? Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!


Unfortunately it's highly unlikely that there will be any Microsoft
Windows 7 newsgroups. Apparently Microsoft has decided that web-based
forums are better than newsgroups and they are putting their efforts
there. I'm personally sorry that's the case, but it's their decision,
not mine. Go to
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...ult.aspx?tab=2

However there is at least one non-Microsoft Windows 7 newsgroup:
alt.windows7.general. Not all servers carry it (at least not yet), but
here's one free news server that does: aioe.org

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Excellent Microsoft forums for Windows 7, Office and Microsoft Security
Essentials are now open: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx



Paul H wrote:
> Where can I post Windows 7 queries? Why is Microsoft refusing to
> include a W7 newsgroup? Do they have an alternative means of answering
> user questions? Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!

Dave wrote:

> There are no Microsoft Win 7 groups.

Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft does not own nor control the
microsoft.public.(what-ever) hierarchy or set of newsgroups.

If any NNTP server operator wanted to create and propagate the newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows7.general then they certainly could, and other
peering operators could choose to carry them if they wished.

Microsoft has "retired" a number of newsgroups on their own servers over
the years, but many of those groups still exist on the "world-wide"
usenet even if they no longer exist on Microsoft's own servers.

I find forums clumsy at best. The newsgroup provides a clear list of
queries, and if a "+" exists, then answers are available. We all learn from
those answers.

"Tim Slattery" <> wrote in message
news...
> "Paul H" <> wrote:
>
>>Where can I post Windows 7 queries?
>
> Microsoft has not created any Win7 newsgroups in the
> microsoft.public.* hierarchy. They want everybody to use the web
> forums. You can use the Usenet group alt.windows7.general
>
>> Why is Microsoft refusing to include a W7 newsgroup?
>
> They haven't actually said, but they appear to dislike newsgroups and
> want to replace them with web forums.
>
>> Do they have an alternative means of answering user questions?
>> Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!
>
> Yeah, that seems to be exactly what they have in mind.
>
> --
> Tim Slattery
>
> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

News Guy <> wrote:

>Dave wrote:
>
>> There are no Microsoft Win 7 groups.
>
>Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft does not own nor control the
>microsoft.public.(what-ever) hierarchy or set of newsgroups.

They created them on their servers. Many (nearly all) admins of other
Usenet servers have chosen to carry many or all of those groups.

>If any NNTP server operator wanted to create and propagate the newsgroup
>microsoft.public.windows7.general then they certainly could, and other
>peering operators could choose to carry them if they wished.

True, but in practice other sysadmins are very unlikely to create a
group in the microsoft.* hierarchy. Or any other company's hierarchy,
for that matter.

>Microsoft has "retired" a number of newsgroups on their own servers over
>the years, but many of those groups still exist on the "world-wide"
>usenet even if they no longer exist on Microsoft's own servers.

True. There are rules for getting rid of groups in the Big 8
hierarchies, and (I think) sysadmins generally abide by them. But
outside of that, in alt.* and elsewhere, newsgroups can live forever.

--
Tim Slattery

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

I find forums to be a big pain. There all different, difficult to navigate.
And in order to register
you need, in some, to input that stupid register code aimed at preventing
non-humans from registering.
Hell I can't make heads or tells of some of them.

Just my 2 cents.

James

"Paul H" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Where can I post Windows 7 queries? Why is Microsoft refusing to include
> a W7 newsgroup? Do they have an alternative means of answering user
> questions? Not an inconvenient forum, I hope!