Worst Things About Windows XP

Given my beliefs, yes, it would be odd had I not recommended they buy a Mac. This is why I have. It is my firm belief that they would be better off with the mac for what what they are looking to get out of a computer. The relatives and friends who I have gotten to buy macs don't call me with problems all the time. As far as "error free" goes, nobody really says things like that. Do they?
 
well i thought i'd insert a buzzword in there just for kicks--this was in response to your angry statement about the error messages...
 
Originally posted by Mav451
...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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-All

Y'know, Mav451 brings up an interesing contrast here. Macs do tend to have a little less error-age overall, though my XP box has never been annoying in this regard. It's essentially a little clunkier than OS X, but otherwise a valiant machine so far.

But my point is when an Mac errors - really errors - it's ugly.

"directory overlap at sector 45563 and 45567"

When somebody asks me why I have and prefer the Mac, my answer is simply that "I can trust the Mac."
 
Originally posted by patrick0brien

But my point is when an Mac errors - really errors - it's ugly.
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i just wonderd why there aren't any hints to the movie "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" in this thread

The Good : mac os x, unix
The Bad:
The Ugly:

hm but i have problems with windows ;-) shall i put it in "bad" or "ugly" ;-) i just can't decide
 
ok, here goes - (some duplicates from previous posts)

"cannot delete this file because it is locked by another process" - even when its an empty text file i created by accident, andhas never been opened. STILL won't let me delete it after a reboot, start in safe mode, OR thru' command prompt - i get this all the time, my harddisk is full of empty folders i can't delete, and files i can't delete. Running XP Pro SP1 with all the updates, hdd integrity is fine and hdd is completely defragged

the fact that i HAVE to reformat my machine once a month because it just bogs down over time. Its my work machine, has virtually nothing on it and i rarely install new stuff - it just slows down! I charge a couple of hundred £ for my time, per day - it takes me half a day to reformat my machine and get in back to the way i like it; maybe i should invoice M$?

the taskbar getting waaaay too cluttered.

pointless processes running in the background

Browser being built straight into the OS - ok, you get faster launch times of IE, but it slows the rest of the system down - i don't even use IE.

lack of DECENT free software

installing a printer and scanner is a pain in the ass

Transferring files over a network is a lot slower than it should be

lame multiple user accounts stuff

M$'s blatant disregard for my privacy

completely illogical menu structure and control panel

NTFS is a crap filesystem, FAT32 is worse

far too many viruses, eploits and spyware out there for my liking!

much more stable than previous winblows versions, but still too unstable for my liking. It bluescreened last week and truncated (i.e. zero'd all data) EVERY open file, including 7hrs worth of PHP i'd been working on (yes, i'd saved them but because they were in use when it crashed, windows truncated them), all my emails since october and all my browser/email prefs

nonsensical errors "windows cannot synchronise your system clock with a timeserver because the time presented by the timeserver does not match that of your system clock" - i got that error yesterday, i laughed my ass off.

its ability to "forget" preferences

I'm self employed, and at the moment my pc is costing me money purely because of the amount of time i have to spend fixing the SOB. Why am i not on a mac yet? I've been in business 3 months - i'm saving!! my iBook isn't powerful enough to do monitor spanning (even with the hack) with my 17" tft so its no good as a desktop machine.
 
Error Free....Um no.

Originally posted by GrannySmith_G5
Given my beliefs, yes, it would be odd had I not recommended they buy a Mac. This is why I have. It is my firm belief that they would be better off with the mac for what what they are looking to get out of a computer. The relatives and friends who I have gotten to buy macs don't call me with problems all the time. As far as "error free" goes, nobody really says things like that. Do they?
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What the hell happened to this thread? First it was all about problems with XP and suddenly its turned apologetic.
XP goes into apoletic fits and breaks when you try to hook up perhipherials, but if it works you get a 'wizard' to give a series of options that aren't what you were trying to do. The interface is ugly[B/], the OS is bad[B/], and while it is more stable than 98 or ME, it could still be better.
OSX is not error-free, of the people who I have personally switched the only problem is Word, but we know by reading these forums that Mac go wonky, but in my experience far less than XP box.
The people I know who have Macs don't talk about computer problems, virus-definitions, networking faults, they talk about the cool thing they figured out how to do, the new artist they found on iTunes, the DVD they just made, the photo they've manipulated, etc.
And just to illustrate my point, I was scanning docs into the PC (Win XP, AMD 2.0 Ghz, 512mb of RAM) and the image is screwed up and....wait for it....Cntrl-Alt-Delete...now back to work. Meanwhile, my Powerbook I had to do the equivalent, let's see um twice, and I've had two kernal panics since 2001. XP more stable than 98, sure. XP better than OSX, hell no!
I mean look at all the stuff Mav does to keep his machine running, are you kidding me? Those huge lists of system configurations, backups, utilities, and on and on. The equivalent for me, crontab adjustment, backup using .Mac, and a Permissions Repair once a month, then maybe fsck.
I feel bad for people who use Windows, it's like they have to carry a 50 pound backpack everywhere, some don't even realize it and insist that they're better off.
I just get more done on my 'slower' and 'less-useful artists machine' with 'almost no software.' But, oddly my paycheck seems to be better. Hmm.
 
Re: Error Free....Um no.

Originally posted by hulugu
What the hell happened to this thread? First it was all about problems with XP and suddenly its turned apologetic.
XP goes into apoletic fits and breaks when you try to hook up perhipherials, but if it works you get a 'wizard' to give a series of options that aren't what you were trying to do. The interface is ugly[B/], the OS is bad[B/], and while it is more stable than 98 or ME, it could still be better.

[yada yada yada yada yada - Cut for space.]
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Ahh its good to see someone getting people back on track. :rolleyes:
God forbid people speak civilly about an OS even if they don't like it.

Give it a rest. People have different experiences with the various OSs. I have a friend that has had nothing but problems with his iBook since he got it in September. Both in hardware and software.
I have not had a single crash in XP. EVER. That is on 1 desktop and 2 laptops. The desktop has been up and running for 73 days now without any problems. I can ignore 70% of the patches because I don't use Internet Exploder. You don't like the interface? Neither did I hence the reason Windows has a themeing engine its literally 4 clicks to change the theme in Windows and there are literally thousands of themes available to apply to XP if you don't like MS's Fisher Price theme.

Finally you rattled off such tasks/utilities as crontab adjustment, backup using .Mac, and a Permissions Repair once a month, then maybe fsck
Tell me how many users who are new to the Mac would know how to run fschk or do a permissions repair. What the heck is crontab? I'm looking at getting a PowerBook this summer fall. I have no clue as to how to run OS X. My last Mac was a ][e. The fact of the matter is that everyone is a newbie at some point on every OS be it Mac or Windows. And EVERY OS requires some form of maintenance. OS X isn't some type of holy OS that was touched by the hand of god. It has its faults and requires some form of babying like any OS otherwise they would have stopped at 10.0.

There is also another truth to Windows that no one has mentioned yet. If the person who did the install doesn't know what they are doing they can screw things up. I consider Windows to be somewhere between Linux and the Mac. Its not the easiest OS to deal with but when setup correctly is can be a solid, stable, easily managed system. And if you want to categorize Windows as a 50 pound pack then so be it. At least that 50 pound pack is loaded with a ton of compatible software and hardware.

PS- You speak of something failing when you are scanning something. Admittedly I don't know what scanning you speak of but . . . . Get a clue. The vendor of the scanning software/drivers/hardware is more at fault then Microsoft and I hate to tell you this but poorly coded software and/or drivers aren't going to run any better on OS X.
 
Originally posted by io_burn
Worst thing about Windows XP is it isn't made by Apple, AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT HERE GUYS??!?!
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the comment for you location indicates you live in the uk and the "AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT" is from the film groundhog day which was show on channel 5 yesterday thus YOU ARE FROM THE UK

just my scherlock holms moment :)

(for all you americans the uk is a small island that ruled the world before you)
 
Hahaha, more like it was shown on every channel that happened to be showing any kind of movie anywhere in the world yesterday. :) (I think it was on about 5 different channels on DirecTV here in the States.)
 
damn you ruined my roll :(

good film but that last comment "lets stay here" pissed me off
 
Re: Re: Error Free....Um no.

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
Ahh its good to see someone getting people back on track. :rolleyes:
God forbid people speak civilly about an OS even if they don't like it...People have different experiences with the various OSs....I have not had a single crash in XP. EVER.....You don't like the interface? Neither did I hence the reason Windows has a themeing engine its literally 4 clicks to change the theme in Windows and there are literally thousands of themes available to apply to XP if you don't like MS's Fisher Price theme....Finally you rattled off such tasks/utilities as crontab adjustment, backup using .Mac, and a Permissions Repair once a month, then maybe fsck...Tell me how many users who are new to the Mac would know how to run fschk or do a permissions repair. What the heck is crontab? I'm looking at getting a PowerBook this summer fall. I have no clue as to how to run OS X. My last Mac was a ][e. The fact of the matter is that everyone is a newbie at some point on every OS be it Mac or Windows. And EVERY OS requires some form of maintenance. OS X isn't some type of holy OS that was touched by the hand of god. It has its faults and requires some form of babying like any OS otherwise they would have stopped at 10.0.

There is also another truth to Windows that no one has mentioned yet. If the person who did the install doesn't know what they are doing they can screw things up. I consider Windows to be somewhere between Linux and the Mac. Its not the easiest OS to deal with but when setup correctly is can be a solid, stable, easily managed system. And if you want to categorize Windows as a 50 pound pack then so be it. At least that 50 pound pack is loaded with a ton of compatible software and hardware.

PS- You speak of something failing when you are scanning something. Admittedly I don't know what scanning you speak of but . . . . Get a clue. The vendor of the scanning software/drivers/hardware is more at fault then Microsoft and I hate to tell you this but poorly coded software and/or drivers aren't going to run any better on OS X.
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You know what, I wrote down a scathing response, all full of piss and vinegar, and then I went and reread my post. I was being facitious, but I come off like a jerk, so I apologize.
The scanner bombed my machine while I was writing my original response and it pissed me off, especially since I had used the scanner last week with my Powerbook and it worked very well.
However, I am suprised at how much work someone like Mav does to keep their machine in shape, I thought about the equivalents, backups, system utilities, etc. and I mentioned the few that I do that has led me to such a stable machine:
Backup is an Application you get if you buy .Mac and it does automactic backups for you; crontab is a UNIX utility that runs during certain times in the day, but this can be when your machine is off, so it never is completed, so you can adjust it using either the CLIE or several neat little GUI programs; reparing permissions is a 4-click process that anyone can learn to do. These take a combined 20 minutes once a month, while Mav's list takes much longer and requires many more steps.
Furthmore, I understand that every system has its weaknesses and strengths and users have varied experiences in dealing with them. However, I think most people do more work to keep their PC going than a Mac, and of the people I've convinced to switch (ranging from a hard-core Linux/Windows geek to a budding photographer) they have been problem free and in the case of the photographer are able to do really cool things because she actually understands her computer. Both have been problem-free as have I. I'm beginning to think that 50 pound pack full of 'compatible software and hardware' is more of a burden because of all those 'poorly coded apps' than a help.
So, while my statement probably caused your reaction, I would nonetheless like to point out that 'get a clue' and 'yadda, yadda, yadda' have yet to rise to the pantheon of intelligent discourse. So thanks for that. Also, congratulations on keeping WinXP running for 73 days, you deserve a cookie.
 
You are correct sir

Originally posted by Hector
the comment for you location indicates you live in the uk and the "AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT" is from the film groundhog day which was show on channel 5 yesterday thus YOU ARE FROM THE UK

just my scherlock holms moment :)

(for all you americans the uk is a small island that ruled the world before you)
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The UK ruled the world, when did that happen? I just checked it's not on CNN or Fox News. Wait, no my history book doesn't mention anything about the UK, just France, Spain, and the British. I'm so confused. :D
 
Originally posted by SiliconAddict
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.
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  1. That is the funniest thing I have read all day. Fair play to you for remembering something so simple.

    I had a list of 5 steps, and one of them was buy a mac first
 
Guys it great that people think that I'm doing alot of work.

Heck, I can write a guide (no, not a mediocre CNET.com guide), a real guide based on my experiences in the past 7 months.

1. Most of the tweaks/services are done right at the beginning of installation of WinXP Pro, not a continous process. This includes the initial (and powerful) registry tweak that I use, disables about 10-20 useless annoying services. If i had built a computer for one the MacRumors.com members with all my tweaks, you would probably find it very hard to criticize in comparison to an average JoeShmoe Dell or Compaq.

2. There are only two utilities i use. One of them i run basically every other week--and now i'm thinking i can run it every other month now. SpyBot: Search and Destroy (adware/spyware detection and cleaning program) is not even required after you Immunize IE of its Active X holes. Spybot does this in one click, that's it.

Because if you run the more powerful Mozilla Firebird, spyware will find it extremely hard to get in through your browser.

3. Registry cleaning. Unless your constantly installing/uninstalling games/utilities, i seriously doubt that even this needs to be done even every other week. I don't use it unless I know a certain program will be finicky with installations. JV16 PowerTools can easily scan for old entries from old programs...if you don't remember what programs you have installed/uninstalled, then you are already in some trouble. But have no fear, PowerTools let you learn about the location of the entry/date so you can figure out if its important or not. I think what PowerTools is really important for is when you are switching from an ATi video card to an nVidia or vice versa. Both have drivers that will conflict with one another...of course if you don't switch cards, this is not a problem.

To be honest, I don't know do maintenance work at all. As i said in the beginning, the most crucial time of getting the tweaks done is at the time of the OS install. If it is done right, not much needs to be done. Heck, if a guy in Maryland needs computer, I can help with the OS installation and you'll be good to go.

PS: Silicon Addict. I have Windows XP Corporate Edition Integrated SP1. I didn't do anything like what you have listed to get rid of Messenger. In fact, I ended up having to download it so i could talk to my friends who use it.
 
MAV... my dear

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
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Shucks Mav - i'm glad that I busted you up - must happen a fair bit - looking down from your lofty heights at us plebes who don't own or use XP CORPORATE SP1 INTEGRATED - hell, I'm so dumb I'd never even heard of that !

My downright pig ignorance busts up a lot of people - I guess I am just a 20th century village idiot!

Unlike you integrated CORPORATE types my poor dumb family runs meagre ol' XP home - just like most people who use their PC at home? (guessing... but I'm probably wrong there too).

My post was about observations that I had made over a two week period at home over christmas - you see being the most ignorant and slowest of my family my wintel box only runs 98SE (and I really have no big gripes with it - I was actually hugely anti-mac only 2 years ago).

I digress -sorry my mind wanders...back on track;

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.
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You are dead right! - i didn't realise that they were one and the same - for these minor reasons:

1) They have different names.
2) They look different and show different things (not just drives on my version of My Computer either mate)
3) One has the heirarchical tree system to the left - which I like for moving files about - the other doesn't (I now learn from another post that I can get this on My computer through a menu item)

My point is that I used windows for 6 years as an everyday user (limited experience means I don't understand the workings of Windows) and found Explorer invaluable and My computer fairly hopeless for organising files.

As for me not being able to find the CD-ROM Drive - read again buddy - it wasn't me - it was your beloved XP (home) that couldn't find it.

Windows explorer could find the drive - but My Computer (which is of course the same thing, only different) couldn't!! But hell - I guess I'm just a dumbass again - oh thats right - My Computer shows DRIVES!

iTunes could see the drive - but Roxio couldn't - service pack downloads, Driver updates and firmware updates didn't resolve the problem - can you guess what did?

A $NZ350 upgrade to XP Professional (still not CORPORATE I know).

Now I will finish in your terms and tone:

MAV you are the funniest guy (or gal) that I have come across in, like forever!

Of course you don't know or understand that most computer user's idea of a great night out is NOT building a PC at home.

It is clear that your intellectual superiority renders you simply incapable of understanding that human opinions are formed through experiences. Most morons like me have real world experiences with computers (Macs included) that leave us frustrated with technology, from these we form impressions and opinions (rightly or wrongly).

Perhaps your difficulty in comprehending this concept is linked to the inordinate amount of time you seem to spend posting on forums

But let me say this: for a simpleton from down-under you are just the funniest thing I have come across in month's - you bust me up MAV!
 
See, the above post is exactly what im talking about, will a poweruser really see the benifit of macOS?

Kiwi-Todd is right in lots of ways, most people are ignorant to technoligy, they dont live or breath it, i on the other hand do, it's my hoby and what i enjoy doing - is macOS only for the simple light computer crowd or will a poweruser really see it as such a great thing?

the way Kiwi-Todd sums it up, it macs macs look like they are for simple minded people that just dont want to be bothered with computers, technoligy, or trying to understand the reason WHY things are working they just want it to be there NOW for THEM (oh so very american if i might add) :D
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
If Unix isn't for power users, then I must be living in the wrong universe...
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Well, without playing around with osx myself im forced to go by what i read on the verious message boards, from what i can tell the *nix aspect of osx is quite "nutered" as it where

and without having a powerbook of my own i dont see any way to really get to know it

hense my hesitation of throwing out 3,000$ on a laptop i might not like ;x
 
It's not "neutered" in any way I can see. All you do is launch terminal and you have full access to Darwin, which is Apple's version of BSD Unix. I've read up on a few books on Unix, read Apple's technical books on Darwin, and played around on both terminal and a straight up Unix box and they both seem to behave the same to me. You can even startup in verbose mode and bypass the GUI altogether if you so choose.
 
Linky

Thanks for that clarification.

I hadn't really distilled my post down to your salient interpretation, but I guess in retrospect you are correct! --Macs are for simple-minded folks not powerusers - shucks and there I was thinking video compositing was fairly intense work ....... while PeeCees appear to be suited for semi-literates for whom "technoligy" is a "hoby".

Yes I want it ALL, I want it NOW and I want it for ME, ME, ME - because I PAID for it!!
 
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