Windows VISTA - Do these customers have SUCKER written on their forehead?

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I just got a new Dell laptop a week ago last Friday with Vista.

So far, I've had to reformat the drive b/c System Restore wouldn't roll back for me (got message saying unknown error in Windows). And I have a crappy dial up connection that won't stay up for very long at times.

I've fiddled w/settings and fiddled w/settings in the Network and Connection Center, the modem settings, and Internet Options.

I've taken off Norton, and my brother installed the Avast and Firefox for me while I was at work today.

I think I'm getting used to Vista, but if I could just get the settings right on the dial up to work and by the time that happens, the DSL will probably be turned back on and I won't have to worry about it (hopefully after my next paycheck.)

Somebody needs to tell the folks at Microsoft that there are still folks using dial up - apparently they added the dial up option as an afterthought and concentrated more on the wireless/broadband part of the networking options.

And forget the PDF manual included on the hard drive - I have to use F8 to get to the part where I can reformat the drive - instead of F11 as the manual says to do. Turns out I have to hold my mouth just right to do that - keep tapping on F8 until the screen comes up.

Seems as if the simpler things become, the more complicated they become if something goes wrong.

[Catwoman2965]

Whew...after hearing all this, i am glad i waited to buy a new computer. I was all set in Feb to get one, thinking "oh Vista, its new, wow, it will be awesome" - not aware of any of the issues it has. But i decided against it, deciding that my 6 year old machine would stay put until it finally died.

In the meantime, I became aware of Vista problems and issues, and Dell decided that due to "customer requests" - more like complaints, I'm betting - that they would now offer certain machines with XP. Right after that, my hard drive crapped out. While Dell may have sucky customer service (or so i've been told) - my new one with XP is running fine...and as my previous one was a Dell, and I wanted nothing to do with Vista - things are going well.

[tollbaby]

I'm terribly afraid... I'm going shopping for a new computer tonight *cry*

[Dreamstalker]

And forget the PDF manual included on the hard drive - I have to use F8 to get to the part where I can reformat the drive - instead of F11 as the manual says to do.

Don't you love how the manual is now on the computer (what, pray tell, does one do if you can't get the computer running long enough to open the manual)?

Vista also implements IPv6...mistake. Wait until IP6 is actually mainstream. As it is now, Vista's IP6 and IP4 stacks don't seem to like each other, especially with the wireless.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Don't you love how the manual is now on the computer (what, pray tell, does one do if you can't get the computer running long enough to open the manual)?

Vista also implements IPv6...mistake. Wait until IP6 is actually mainstream. As it is now, Vista's IP6 and IP4 stacks don't seem to like each other, especially with the wireless.

Heh. Not as much as I so enjoy the recovery being on a separate partition of the hard drive rather than CD.

I mean, what if the hard drive dies - I'm screwed w/out so much as a kiss.

Now if I can disable the IP6, I might be able to hold the connection. As it is, I've had to relog into HellSouth (now big blue ball) 3 times already this evening.

[MadMike]

Regarding the "Recovery partition" (because the stupid thing isn't letting me quote DG's post or even paste the text from it),


You beat me to it. I'd like to give a swift kick in the to whatever genius thought that was a good idea. Hard drives don't last forever.

[jb17kx]

Even IBM don't give recovery CDs anymore. Royally pisses me off - becasue I know my HDD is just waiting to die.
Oh, apart from the fact that I paid for 80GB and damn well want all of it, not 69GB.

[sld72382]

If you hate the recovery partition, just call whoever made the PC and get a hard copy of the recovery on DVDs or whatever.

[draggar]

I just bought a new computer a few weeks ago, I made sure it had XP on it.

[technical.angel]

Dell has the option of getting XP installed if you want. Which they announced after I bought my parents' laptop from HP.

[Rapscallion]

Regarding the "Recovery partition" (because the stupid thing isn't letting me quote DG's post or even paste the text from it),


You beat me to it. I'd like to give a swift kick in the to whatever genius thought that was a good idea. Hard drives don't last forever.

Testing - ignore.

Rapscallion

[Rapscallion]

I just got a new Dell laptop a week ago last Friday with Vista.

So far, I've had to reformat the drive b/c System Restore wouldn't roll back for me (got message saying unknown error in Windows). And I have a crappy dial up connection that won't stay up for very long at times.

I've fiddled w/settings and fiddled w/settings in the Network and Connection Center, the modem settings, and Internet Options.

I've taken off Norton, and my brother installed the Avast and Firefox for me while I was at work today.

I think I'm getting used to Vista, but if I could just get the settings right on the dial up to work and by the time that happens, the DSL will probably be turned back on and I won't have to worry about it (hopefully after my next paycheck.)

Somebody needs to tell the folks at Microsoft that there are still folks using dial up - apparently they added the dial up option as an afterthought and concentrated more on the wireless/broadband part of the networking options.

And forget the PDF manual included on the hard drive - I have to use F8 to get to the part where I can reformat the drive - instead of F11 as the manual says to do. Turns out I have to hold my mouth just right to do that - keep tapping on F8 until the screen comes up.

Seems as if the simpler things become, the more complicated they become if something goes wrong.

Testing - ignore.

Rapscallion

[Vic Rattlehead]

Heh. Not as much as I so enjoy the recovery being on a separate partition of the hard drive rather than CD.

I mean, what if the hard drive dies - I'm screwed w/out so much as a kiss.

Testing again -- Mike

[Andara Bledin]

I've found, with MS, that if you get the last iteration of their OS, you've usually got a solid winner. So, now that Vista is out, XP should be a solid choice.

^-.-^

[aracondal]

I'm actually kind of surprised that there aren't more plugs for Linux on this thread...

By and large, Linux is far superior to MS products, especially if you aren't a gamer. More importantly, the part most people don't know:

Anybody who has the technical wherewithal to change the OS on a PC will have no trouble hunting down, installing, and operating any GUI-based Linux build. Linux really isn't as complicated as people seem to think.

If you're uncomfortable with it, try Knoppix -- you boot from a CD.