During the past week or so, it has become apparent that there is a rebooting problem for some users who have chosen to install SP3 for Windows XP. The problem appears to occur on some HP machines which Microsoft claims used an image install of Windows XP for both AMD and Intel systems. HP has basically remained mum on the issue and has let Microsoft  deal with the situation.

But this does not help those who are experiencing the problem. Though some have taken it upon themselves to try and correct the problem like Jespers Blog here,  the bottom line is this. Never mind who is to blame, get a fix for the problem. It doesn’t matter whether the fix comes from Microsoft, HP or whomever, just fix it.

About six months ago I did an article in which I stated that before installing any service pack, whether it be SP1 for Vista or SP3 for XP, I usually wait several months before taking the plunge. I have been burnt to many times in trying to be the first  to install a fix, patch, service pack, updated driver, you name it. But what was surprising is that some criticized my stance in waiting and letting others take the plunge.

Unless you have a test system as I do, in which I dual boot both Windows Vista w/ SP1 and Windows XP Pro with SP3, both of which installed without a problem, [the test box is a AMD powered system with no reboots], taking a chance that your system may not work for me is not an option. I use my personal system some 4 hours or more a day. I use email to stay in contact with family, friends and clients, to post blog articles here at LG, to write articles for a local rag and basically this is how I supplement my income.

I don’t have time to have my system inoperable because of an issue that should of been previously addressed. I find it extremely hard to believe that during all of the beta testing that no one on the entire planet did an install of SP3 using an HP machine. Doesn’t anyone recall when SP2 for Windows XP was released that it laid waste to thousands of Dell computer systems? Does any of this sound familiar?

Another question to ponder.  What does either SP1 for Vista or SP3 for XP do that makes it a life or death situation to be the first to install either one? Does anyone really believe that either service pack was going to really improve either operating system, to the point that we would be dancing in the streets with joy?

Comments welcome.

Tags: windows, microsoft, hp, xp, vista, service packs, sp1, sp3,  

Over at the Your Blog site from Dell, there is an interesting article which explains fully the downgrade rights spelled out by Microsoft. What is interesting about the entire concept of downgrading, is that this right was actually for corporate clients who may need to stick with Windows XP because of coporate software compatibility issues with Windows Vista.

The article also explains that this is not anything new which is contrary to what some are saying. The fact is that Microsoft had the same policy available when we switched from Windows 2000 to Windows XP.  Let’s face it. Most of us can’t remember the problems we all faced when we switched over to XP and we also have forgotten the problems associated when Windows XP SP2 was first introduced.

The article goes on to state:

What are the rules?

• Customers can purchase select systems that include a license for Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, and have the OS downgraded to XP Professional, which Dell installs.
  • Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Basic are NOT part of the downgrade rights program, NOR is XP Home.
• The Dell systems that are part of the downgrade rights program are:
  • Latitude laptops, OptiPlex desktops and Dell Precision workstations
  • Dell Vostro laptops and desktops
  • Dell Gaming systems - the XPS 630 desktop and XPS M1730 laptop (Note – Vista Ultimate is the only DGR OS option for these systems)
• Dell offers the downgrade right program service at no charge on corporate client PCs, and charges a fee ($20-$50) on Vostro and XPS gaming systems.
• Microsoft has stated the ability to provide the Windows XP recovery media ends on Jan. 31, 2009. After this PC manufacturers/system builders like Dell cannot send out Windows XP media. There will be a few exceptions to this date – for example, some Volume License customers who get images installed through custom factory install (CFI)  can continue to receive Vista licensed systems with XP installed.

I think that Dell has explained the ins and outs of what the downgrade rights are and who qualifies for the right as specified by Microsoft.

Comments welcome.

Dell Your Blog article is here.

Tags: dell, your blog, xp, vista, downgrade, rights, explained, qualify, costs, more,  

During the past week, there have been several articles in which Windows Vista and Windows XP are put up against each other and compared. One article compared the two for gaming and came to the conclusion they are evenly matched. Another I read today states that Windows XP with SP3 is about 10% faster than SP2. The chart showed Vista lagging far behind.

But what I find interesting is who does these studies and what is their agenda? Let’s look at this situation without prejudice and without conjecture and bias. First of all Vista and XP are two completely different operating systems, each with their own virtues and faults. When I read articles that slam one OS over another, I always wonder what the writer is trying to prove.

We have all seen the comparisons made between Intel and AMD CPU’s, and we are all aware that each of these companies have padded the results. With this in mind, how can any of us trust the testing results no matter who claims they are fair and accurate. I would also like to know who among us could possibly detect a 10% performance gain?

What this all comes down to is personal preference.

What do you think?

Comments welcome.

If your computer came with a RAID controller and you wish to use this type of configuration, you need to either set the BIOS correctly and/or install the proper RAID driver for Vista. For those who have setup RAID drivers before you are most likely familiar with the procedure. But or those who haven’t done this before, this is the basics of getting RAID to work for you.

• First get into your bios. [Usually pressing F1, F2 or DEL keys] which is done during boot.
• Then find an option for your hard drives to enable Raid.
• Next boot your Windows Vista DVD.
• Choose a language from the list provided.
• Click the Install now button and enter your product key.
• Choose the correct version of Vista that you are licensed for from the list and click to accept to the license agreement.
• Now, on the “Which type of installation to you want to do” screen, choose custom install.
• If Windows automatically detects your Raid controller you are good to go.
• If your RAID controller is not detected you will need to go to you motherboard manufacturers website and download the driver to a usb thumb drive.
• Start the Vista setup by clicking the “Load Driver” button in the bottom left corner of the screen.
• With your Raid controller recognized, click advanced drive options and choose your Raid configuration you would like.
• Continue with the installation.

If you are still having problems you may wish to post your problem over at the lockergnome.com web site.

Comments welcome.

Tags: raid, controller, vista, microsoft, install, dvd, assistance, lockergnome

If you are a Netflix subscriber and are using the Netflix software to watch on demand movies, you may experience some problems using the software after you upgrade to SP1 for Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system. It seems that the cause could be a problem with Internet Explorer.

According to some sources there is a simple fix to try. Resetting the defaults may just work. So try this. Go into Internet Explorer Tools - Internet Options - Advanced Menu and click on “Reset Internet Explorer Settings’ button and hopefully this will cure the problem.

Comments welcome.

Tags: vista, sp1, microsoft, internet explorer, reset, deafults, netflix, software, conflicts

If you are one of the unfortunate souls who did not get a Vista recovery disk with your new PC purchase, you can download one in a iso image from the link below. The only problem is that this is a torrent download and requires you share the downloading chores with others. On the site it states:

It doesn’t matter that you just paid a thousand dollars for a machine that comes with a valid Windows Vista license - your computer manufacturer just don’t want to spend the money (or perhaps take on the responsibility) of giving you a Windows Vista installation DVD to accompany your expensive purchase.

The problem is, with Windows Vista, the installation media serves more than one purpose. It’s not just a way to get Windows installed, it’s also the only way of recovering a borked installation. The Windows Vista DVD has a “recovery center” that provides you with the option of recovering your system via automated recovery (searches for problems and attempts to fix them automatically), rolling-back to a system restore point, recovering a full PC backup, or accessing a command-line recovery console for advanced recovery purposes.

Microsoft seems to have realized this problem, and have thankfully made a recovery disc for this purpose. It contains the contents of the Windows Vista DVD’s “recovery center,” as we’ve come to refer to it. It cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows Vista, and just serves as a Windows PE interface to recovering your PC. Technically, one could re-create this installation media with freely-downloadable media from Microsoft (namely the Microsoft WAIK kit, a multi-gigabyte download); but it’s damn-decent of Microsoft to make this available to Windows’ users who might not be capable of creating such a thing on their own.

This is a 120MB download so a broadband connection is highly recommended. Also this is an official download site for the Microsoft product so it does not contain any spyware or other junk.

Comments welcome.

Click to Read the Full Post »

Tags: vista, recovery, disk, dvd, download, microsoft, site, torrent

The boot screen for Microsoft Windows Vista can be changed from the boring sliding bar scrolling across the screen to something you may like better. Included in Vista is another boot screen you may wish to try if you wish to change the look at boot. To change the boot screen, do the following:

• Click the start menu, and type in the command “run” and than hit the Enter key.
• Type “msconfig” [without the quotes] in the box and hit the Enter key.
• Select the “boot” tab at the top, and then place a check mark in the box next to the “No GUI Boot”
• Hit “apply” then click on “ok”
• The system will need to be restarted.

If you chose not to use the new GUI, just uncheck the GUI box and reboot.

Let us know what you think.

Comments welcome.

Tags: vista, boot, screen, gui, change, scroll, bar

I was reading a few articles about Dell’s announcement about smaller desktops coming towards the end of the year. Not tht this is earth shattering, since Dell has previously made small footprint PC’s in the past. But it jogged my memory about the keyboard PC from a company called Cybernet. The entire computer is inside an over sized keyboard that houses the entire computer. It always amazed me that these computers were neither copied by the major OEM’s nor became mainstream.

Cybernet describes their latest unit as:

This new generation All-in-One PC in a keyboard not only takes up far less desktop space, but also puts an Intel® Core™ 2 Quad CPU with all its features and performance at your fingertips. The new ZPC-GX31™ is a true innovation packing so much power, performance and compatibility inside a normal size keyboard. With features such as Dual Display capabilities, 4GB of DDR2/667MHz RAM, 1Gb LAN and DVI interface you now have a complete personal computer that takes up no more space than a typical keyboard. Simply place it on your desktop, plug in a monitor and you are done!

Also, this is one of the only PC’s available in which the unit can be purchased without an operating system. So if the consumer wishes to install Linux or an copy of Windows XP, they are free to do so. Cybernet also offers an all in one unit which fits into a monitor as well.

But my questions is this? Why did this system never become mainstream?

Comments welcome.

Cybernet site is here.

Tags: keyboard, pc, cybernet, computer, small, foot print, all-in-one, linux, windows, xp, question,  

It is getting interesting. HP and Lenovo are joining Dell and will continue to offer Microsoft Windows XP as an option to Microsoft Windows Vista. But Microsoft has stated that all XP installs must cease on June 30, 2008. So what’s happening? Well the OEM’s seem to be using Microsoft’s own ‘downgrade rights’ to circumvent the no XP rule. [See my ‘downgrade rights’ article here.

To add to the problem, the NY Times and Wall Street Journal have some thoughts that Vista may not be doing as well as the Redmond folks might wish us to believe. Using some strange accounting magic ala Anderson Accounting, the numbers for Vista sales do not appear to add up. When taking the number of copies that Microsoft says have sold, multiplied by the number of OEM and retail sales, Microsoft should have more money than Fort Knox.

Microsoft counters that because of their pricing for 3rd world countries, Vista sales are good, but profits are lower. Whatever.

Which brings us back to the policies of HP, Lenovo and Dell. If Vista was so hot, wouldn’t these companies just make the switch to ALL Vista systems on the 30th of June as dictated by Microsoft? If these OEM’s sell a computer and make a profit, why should they care which OS is on the computer?

It should be interesting to see what Acer decides to do. Acer has been an outspoken Vista hater and has not made any brownie points with Gates and company. Now that Acer controls Gateway and eMachines, and is 4th in sales, they may have no choice but to go with the flow.

Thoughts anyone?

Comments welcome.

Tags: microsoft, hp, acer, gateway, lenovo, hp, computers, windows, vista, xp,  

It is rare that I agree with some of the assumptions of John C. Dvorak. I usually find his analysis of anything on the wild side and his opinion extreme. But I recently read his article ‘Vista 11 Pillars of Failure’ and I must admit he has finally put the voodoo dolls away and has come up with some very logical assessments of Vista and why it is failing.

Though most of what is said in the article has been said before, what is refreshing is that the 11 failures are short and to the point. There is no need to expand upon some of the issues, since most computer guru’s are already aware of the problems without having them repeated again and again in detail.

Though I respect those of you who are enjoying Vista, there is a very vocal crowd of detractors who are just disappointed with the new OS. This disappointed crowd is being heard loud and clear by the folks in Redmond. So much so, that Microsoft could do a 180 and let Windows XP hang out for awhile longer. But enough about Vista. What about Windows 7?

Depending on which rumors you wish to believe, Windows 7 could be here by next year. Will Microsoft make the next Windows leaner, meaner and ready to rumble? Or fat, bloated and ready to stumble?

Comments welcome

Dvorak article is here.

Tags: windows, vista, failure, microsoft, windows 7