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Worst Things About Windows XP

Originally posted by linky
hulugu, i thank you for the reply - in my original post i failed to even mention that i am a big *nix guy, i run both freeBSD and slackware, bsd on the servers and slack on my play machine...as far as the virus's go i dont really concider myself lucky, i consider myself prepaired, i do not need to run antivirus software because i dont open notavirus.exe when one pops up in my email, I dont have to worry about blaster because if i dont specificly set the cisco to foward a port to me i never see it...I think i really need to try it for myself, i've played with my friends powerbooks but they where old/slow - my real concern at this point is that i am going to spend close to 3,000$ on a powerbook and i worry it wont be powerfull enough for me (i'm spoiled) :D
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If you're a *nix guy you'll freaking love OSX. My sysadmin borrowed an old Powerbook (333mhz G3) and after a week he bought it from me, stuck a 500mhz Sonnet card, a new screen (some jackass had mailed it back from Europe in a padded envelope) and new drive. Now he brings it to work every day and fiddles with it constantly.
And the virus thing, we did really well until one of the guys decided to hook his petri-dish of a laptop to the network, so while you can do everything right, someone else is there to find the one thing you didn't think of. But, I understand your point.
I would suggest, based on my sysadmin's experience, that find an older Mac on eBay or Smalldog, Powermax, etc. and play with it, play with the network tools and Terminal, plus you can run X11 which you should really dig. If you don't like it sell it back with the knowledge of another platform, and if you do Welcome to Macintosh.
I like my Mac better and I think Windows has serious flaws in its inherent design that make it difficult for the average user, but it can work and the hardware for PCs is very cheap and very fast. I only wish Moto and IBM had kept up with Intel, I think we'd be playing a very different game now.
 
Originally posted by Mav451
Dang dude. If it takes you an entire week to set up Windows XP, then seriously, consider the time you spend working on that as opposed to getting a Mac for yourself.

I have installed (physically) an AMD box along with formatting and settings and s/w installations (Office 2k3, Photoshop, games, etc.) all in about a day's work. I don't understand how it can take an entire week to setup.

I scan for spyware now and then, defrag, and get the usual video card updates every several months (or less, depending on ATi's driver development cycle).

I don't see the need to replace your partition with a new one every week. Assuming you aren't constantly installing useless "CNET/Download.com" utilities, your registry should be clean.

If the programs you DO install are finicky, clean it up with JV16 PowerTools (again, doesn't take more than a few minutes to search and find obsolete registry strings--it will scan it for you).
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Agree totally:
It's around 6 hours from parts to a fully functioning (all updates) and online game worthy PC. Well that's for me, the only real time consuming aspect of building the system is downloading all the updates, and then installing all the programs desired buy the customer. And of course this varies.
 
heh, another home builder then eh?

Don't see too many of us (only half of my friends can), and on MacRumors, self-built PCs are an extreme rarity.

I mean, hey, if that guy was here in MD i could help him personally, but he isn't.

I have security updates//DCombobulator//registry tweaks on one CD, Applications and mobo/vid/sound drvers on 2 other cds. With these 3 cds on hand, it doesn't take long to set up a computer.
 
Originally posted by linky
hulugu, i thank you for the reply - in my original post i failed to even mention that i am a big *nix guy, i run both freeBSD and slackware, bsd on the servers and slack on my play machine

my concern now is that i actually enjoy doing the technical stuff, i very rarely have a problem that can not be solved with a quick download or tweek, as far as the virus's go i dont really concider myself lucky, i consider myself prepaired, i do not need to run antivirus software because i dont open notavirus.exe when one pops up in my email, I dont have to worry about blaster because if i dont specificly set the cisco to foward a port to me i never see it

these are the kind of things do not bother me at all, the only problems i have ever had with software is when i'm dealing with either "in home" software that was writen for a corporation or platform that i am trying to adapt, or when i deal with "cheap" software that's just writen poorly :\

I think i really need to try it for myself, i've played with my friends powerbooks but they where old/slow - my real concern at this point is that i am going to spend close to 3,000$ on a powerbook and i worry it wont be powerfull enough for me (i'm spoiled) :D
Click to expand...

My PowerBook may not have a G5 in it, but it's pretty damn fast. Even on the PC side of things, you won't be finding too many laptops out there that will be a great deal faster.
 
Originally posted by Mav451
heh, another home builder then eh?

Don't see too many of us (only half of my friends can), and on MacRumors, self-built PCs are an extreme rarity.

I mean, hey, if that guy was here in MD i could help him personally, but he isn't.

I have security updates//DCombobulator//registry tweaks on one CD, Applications and mobo/vid/sound drvers on 2 other cds. With these 3 cds on hand, it doesn't take long to set up a computer.
Click to expand...

i prefer clean installs of all my drivers as whatever i put on cd seems to go out of date pretty quickly - but i agree, i can recover from a format in just a few hours, running through and trying to remember wich services i need seem to take the most time :p

i'm currently putting together an A64 3200+ @3400+ - gotta vmod the motherboard and find a decent waterblock before i push it any harder :D
 
heh you have a point...seems bout the right time to burn me a new set of cds for backup...i still got a spindle to use up b4 i switch over to DVD-R's soon :)
 
Originally posted by linky
i prefer clean installs of all my drivers as whatever i put on cd seems to go out of date pretty quickly - but i agree, i can recover from a format in just a few hours, running through and trying to remember wich services i need seem to take the most time :p
Click to expand...

My method of choice, for desktops and laptops, is to split the drive.
60% - C: Primary system partition. (NTFS File system)
40% - D: Secondary partition for Document data storage, software installs, ghost image. (FAT32 File System.)

Once I get the system configured the way I want it and install the base programs that I KNOW won’t be updated for a while. There are certain apps that are pointless to install for a disk image because you will end up updating them anyways after you next redo your system. These programs installer files that aren’t included in the disk image are stored in the D: partition. All data is stored on the D: partion including e-mail, nesgroups, etc.
Once everything is done I boot off of a floppy disk and use Norton Ghost to dump the “image” of the system partition onto the D: FAT32 partition. The system is pretty autonomous. I only need a boot floppy and a Floppy disk drive to get me back up and running again if I, for some reason need to redo my system. I would say from the time I slam the floppy disk into the drive to when I have a fully functioning system is aprox 45 minutes. (Including the 20 minutes it takes to dump the image back onto the drive. Keep in mine this image is about 4 GB compressed down to 2GB and is being dumped from the disk onto the disk so it’s writing back to the drive itself. I’m surprised it only takes 20 minutes.
There is only 1 thing that can scare me when it comes to my computers. Its not viruses, its not worms, its not spam, its not dreaded adware. It’s a failing hard drive. Because in that case I lose my data partition as well and I’m hosed. In every other case I boot from a floppy and I’m up and running in 30 minutes minimum. I’ve scared the living crap out of a friend of mine after I showed him my virus collection (I collect computer viruses. 316 so far.) I ran the dreaded Nimda on my system. Intentionally. The guy though I was insane since I don’t run anti-virus software on my computers other then my home server. OK so I loaded Nimda C variant along with Klez I variant and the always popular and always fun: Loveletter a.k.a lovebug. (Note I give myself read only permissions on my D: drive at that time. I’m a computer masochist, I’m not suicidal. :p :D If nothing else the guy thought I was nuts. So I powered down the computer, inserted my trusty floppy, and reimaged the system partition. All cured. Windows doesn’t scare me anymore as long as you treat it like a ticking time bomb. Eventually something breaks or slows the system down to a crawl. In most cases its easier to redo the system then try and figure out what went wrong. Not always. Going through the system log files has on more then a few ocasions helped me figure out what went wrong. But in most cases redoing the computer is the best, fastest method.
 
In my limited experience with XP -(trying to install new FW card, networking, installing itunes on my dad's and brother's Peecees).

The biggest niggle is the system's lack of 'awareness' - for want of a better term.

By this I mean the OS is not very aware of the hardware in the box - as in Mac. I've had problems locating drivers, locating cards, even locating cd-rom drives.

Wacky network browsing (not that Panther is all that great in my opinion).

Yes those crappy wizards that go nowhere are painful.

The neccessity to reboot after just about ANY system config change or program install.

The strange - My computer, Windows explorer thing - why not one file browsing system?

The e-fetish - a web link for everything fascination.

Those are my biggies!
 
Kiwi you're a pretty funny guy I'll give you that. You said yourself that your experience is pretty limited--well I think that says it already. Locating cd-rom drives? That's one of the funniest things i've seen, and i've seen alot of things, but that goes down as one of the greatest :)

Of course you don't realize that My Computer is one and the same as Explorer (My Computer displays drives). Perhaps your difficulty in realizing that those things are one and the same is linked with your problems in finding the CD-rom drive.

The e-fetish - a web link for everything fascination.
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That one really has me baffled...b/c i have no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps you are using WinXP Home? who knows, i give up.
 
The worst thing about XP is MSN Messenger which NEVER seems to go away. You can close it - it pops back up minutes later. You can ever try to uninstall it - it still weasles its way back. FRIGGIN ANNOYING!
 
When I tried deleting MSN on the Dell at home, it popped back up when my mom opened Outlook and now whenever you try getting rid of it, either an error message pops up saying that deleting those certain files may effect other programs or it still pops up. It seems like Microsoft has built applications into other applications so you may thing you've deleted the program, but it's just lurking in another folder somewhere on the HD waiting to pop out and take you by surprise.
 
you can stop msn messanger by disableing it in outlook express (if it opens with OE) or by stopping the service, not unlike editing a .rc file for osx
 
man i have the opposite problem. I can't find it ANYWHERE! One of my friends had started using it and i just realized that i had no idea where it was. I looked for it in IE, Outlook, and in components. It was gone.

This is of course with XP Corporate SP1 Integrated.

I wouldn't trust XP Home or the original XP Pro anymore at all...
 
Originally posted by Rower_CPU
My lab of Dells tells me it works fine. ;)

What's happening for you?
Click to expand...

-Rower_CPU

Not appearing as a service, and not removable due to sharing errors. This is likely due to the fact that it is running somewhere, and I just don't have the time to start in safe mode and erase the bloody thing.

I suspect many fall victim to the Bigger-Pain-In-The-Ass-Than-It's-Really-Worth syndrome.
 
To uninstall Messenger totally, try running this from the Start>Run dialog:

Code: 
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

You may get an error about an OCX file whilst it's working its way through the uninstall but you can safely ignore it. Make sure that Outlook, Outlook Express and so on aren't running, else you might get some sharing violation errors (look in Task Manager's Processes tab for tasks named "msmsgs" or similar and use the "End Process" button to nuke them - or use safe mode).

As for XP annoyances:

1. Whilst XP is much better than 98/Me/2000, it's still not very robust. My PC gets a hell of a lot of punishment and even though it's built with pretty good parts (Xeons, etc) Windows still flakes out from time to time, which can get annoying.
2. Spyware, viruses. I envy you Mac owners. I use Symantec Antivirus Corporate and AdAware and sit behind a router with in-built firewall, but the risk is still there.
3. Programs that install stuff that you don't want. They stick icons on the desktop, blithely assume that you want program "X" in a Start Menu entry called "Y", install pointless features (Mr Clippy, anyone?) or install their files all over the place or in totally unintuitive places.
4. Inconsistent UI. From playing with OS X at various computer stores, it's all wonderfully integrated and logical. Windows is not. This isn't the fault of the OS, per se, but it's still fairly irritating.

As for install time, I use Ghost 2004 and I can have Windows and all my apps installed within 90 minutes or so. That reminds me, it's time for another reinstall :).
 
Originally posted by carletonmusic
The worst thing about XP is MSN Messenger which NEVER seems to go away. You can close it - it pops back up minutes later. You can ever try to uninstall it - it still weasles its way back. FRIGGIN ANNOYING!
Click to expand...

Easy solution.

  1. Open Windows Explorer.
  2. Go into tools -> folder options from the dropdown boxes.
  3. Click on the vew tab.
  4. Uncheckmark "Hide Portected operating system files"
  5. Tell windows yes indeed you DO want to unhide protected OS files. *sighs*
  6. now check the radio button that says "show hidden files and folders"
  7. Click OK so you are back to your file browser.
  8. Browse to C:\windows\inf.
  9. Locate the file called sysoc.inf
  10. Right click on it and select copy.
  11. in an open area of that folder right click and paste. You should now have a backup copy of the file called "Copy of sysoc.inf"
  12. Right click on the sysoc.inf file again. Select OPEN.
  13. This should open sysoc.inf in the text editor.
  14. Select Edit -> replace from the dropdown box.
  15. In the "Replace What:" area type: HIDE
  16. Leave the "Replace With:" blank
  17. What we are doing is adding hidden items in the add/remove wizard so you can remove MSN and messanger. Windows supports this out of the box but its hidden. Its intended to be used by the corp world that throw up a stink about having IM clients on their systems.
  18. Click "Replace All" this should go down the list of items in the text file and remove any ref to hide.
  19. Select file -> save.
  20. Close out of notepad.
  21. Click on START-> Control Panel -> "Add or remove programs".
  22. In the left hand side select Add/Remove windows components
  23. Scroll down the list and remove MSN explorer, and Windows Messanger. You will notice there are to entries for Windows Messager. Igmore the one with the icon that looks like a gray dimaond and just uncheckmark the one that has a little teal person on it.
  24. Click next and it will update and disable messenger.
  25. We aren't done yet though. This only disables it for your current user. In the event that someone reinstalls messenger from Windows Update it can return. So we are go to go one step further.
  26. NOTE: THIS ONLY APPLIES FOR USER WITH WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL. WINDOWS XP HOME USERS. GO PIRATE A COPY. :p
  27. To be sure that the accursed messenger never runs again click on START -> RUN.
  28. Type gpedit.msc then click OK
  29. This is the group policy editor. It’s a very powerful tool in windows that can lock down the system in a very dramatic fashion. [This was a big ass warning if you didn't catch it.] This tool isn't as dangerous as the registry editor but I can do some nasty things to your system if you don't know what you are doing. Fortunately I do so just follow the instructions.
  30. Follow this pathing: Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Windows Components\Windows Messenger
  31. Locate the item under Windows Messenger called: "Do not allow Windows Messenger to be run" and right click on it and select "Properties"
  32. Change the setting to ENABLED.
  33. What You've just done is told the OS to never run the executable for Messanger.
  34. Click OK. Close out of the Group Policy editor.
  35. This concludes your Windows tweaking session for the day. :)
    [/list=1]


    OK. Not so simple. But it gets to be second nature when you've dicked with Windows for as long as I have.
 
Originally posted by Kiwi-Todd
The neccessity to reboot after just about ANY system config change or program install.

The strange - My computer, Windows explorer thing - why not one file browsing system?
Click to expand...

My Computer is a placeholder for all storage devices on the system not an application. So when you open up my Computer, which you can rename if you don't like it, (Mine is called Local/Network Storage.) you are really just opening up your file browser a.k.a Windows Explorer. In fact I beleve that MS is trying to do away with the file explorer. You will notice that by default My Computer on your desktop is not there. And starting with Windows 98 SE and Windows 2000 they burried the file explorer from START -> Programs to START - > Programs - > Accessories. I think MS is trying to get away from having user use the file system at all. If you do open up My Computer the only diff is that it doesn't have the tree view on the left side but you can add that by going into VIEW - > TOOL BARS - > FOLDER. I think my Computer was intended to be a slimmed down version of the file explorer. Making the view as simple as possible. *shrugs* Or manybe not.

As for reboots. This is where our experiences diverge. I never have to reboot unless I'm making device setting changes and even then its very rare. I can add a protocol to my system and in 9x I sometimes had to reboot TWICE!!?!?! XP not a single reboot. In fact the only time I've had to reboot XP is with patches and programs that integrate with XP to the device level. Example: iTunes requires a reboot, Nero CD burning ROM requires a reboot, etc. Older programs may still have a built in prompt for rebooting, either that or piss poor programming, but I've found that if you ignore it you can just go ahead and use the program. Also when you do program updates sometimes the update isn't smart enough to close all locked program files and thus can't update those files requiring a reboot. If you take the time to end task any processes that you know are going to be updated you can get away without a reboot. Windows XP Pro is a decent OS but it does require quite a bit of hand holding and when it doesn't want to hold your hand you have to just plain slap it upside the head and tell it to play nice.
 
I hate the fact that my Mother, Father-in-law,Aunts,cousins,etc. constantly call me up with some ridiculous problem they are having with xp. The fact that you can't buy a computer, take it out of the box, hook it up, and start doing simple tasks like web browsing and email without having problems with the system is crazy. I won't even begin to go into the problems when they start buying digital cameras, and scanners and such. If 90% of the computing world uses Windows, and roughly the same percentage haven't a clue about computers, then how does that work? There must be millions of people out there who just have horrible computing experiences. That's really too bad, because that doesn't need to be the case.
 
I like how people generalize that XP is "hard" with digital cameras.

I use an extremely outdated Kodak digicam, which was promptly detected automatically through the USB connection.

I don't see how hard it is for someone to plug it in -- heck, a "camera" wizard pops up--you select the photos you want, and you're done with it. I myself had that same stereotypical: "oh do i have the drivers? Is this gonna be hard" initial fear. Well XP did it with no driver installs needed. Literally plug and play.

My mother, who is horrible with computers, has been in the whole digi cam scene for a few years before i even started doing that (which means she was doing it before XP, with 98!) That generalization is pretty stereotypical from the Mac community I understand.

My aunt figured out how to use Yahoo! Mail and Internet Explorer on her own. Again, pretty computer illiterate. The only time she asked for my help was because her computer had died (when i checked, it was a bad power supply).
 
funny...

...just thought about making the same comment about my mother... she even helps my aunt with her computer (she made a switch from windows 3.11 and a 386 to windows xp and pentium 4.. ) and is ripping and burning cds on her own.

the longer you have a computer ..the better/faster you can do things ...

on windows it takes perhaps longer but its not really _hard_ to manage ...but there is lot of free space for improvement... hope this AND security will improve in longhorn... that would cause less problems for me :rolleyes:
 
well jeez Mav, your family is obviously much smarter than mine. I should have taken that into consideration. I guess most people can run Windows without having any problems. Looks like I am surrounded by complete idiots. From now on I'll just tell them "don't call me about all those error messages you're getting, you are simply retarded. I mean come on mom, you can plug in a 6 year old Kodak digital camera into your computer, and it will automatically work great. Stop being so damn stupid and run your computer error free like every one else."

Sweet, my life will be much easier now.

/extreme mac zealot who gets erections over stereotyping Windows complications even though I have never seen let alone laid a single finger on a PC in my entire life.
 
Hey, I wasn't trying to ridicule you. It's just that one of the most common stereotypes is that Windows (whether or not it's XP, 2000, 98) takes alot of knowledge to operate. Following that stereotype is that a even a "baby" can use a Mac.

I'm thinking that it is a little odd that when you claim windows has so many problems that you have not suggested to them to buy "error-free" Macs, where there are no problems, no driver errors, and heck, probably even operated without the user even touching the keyboard. Yes your life will be easier :)
 
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