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  • I didn't realize it's gotten this bad with MS

    OK, Most of you know me as a frequent poster around here, although I'm about as technically unschooled as they come. What I've learned is what I needed to know, and what got me here was the need to solve a problem. I had so much fun getting it done and following other knowledge around that I just stayed and learned a lot.

    The above is to lay down a clear disclaimer that I am not a computer tech.

    --But I have learned, over the years, how to tear one down, The basics of hardware installation and upgrading, and I've built 6 or so custom rigs for myself and a few friends.--Nothing fancy, just helping folks out.

    So here's the rant:

    A fellow in my company asked for my help setting him up with a PC that would replace his old IBM AS400 dumb terminal.

    "Well sure" I say, chest sticking out. "No problem, we'll slap that emulation card in there and have you surfing the net within the day"

    Hah!!!!

    Being basically lazy, and in a hurry, I figured any ol' machine would serve his needs which was simply to support an AS400 emulation card and let him check e-mail. For the first time in the last 5 years, I went out and bought a "packaged" machine.

    Got him one of those Compaq "Internet Computers" 'cause it was the only one at the low end that would admit it had expansion slots on the outside of the box--with cheapo's you just never know, y'know.

    So I'm back to the office in a flash, 15 minutes to unpack--press the power button for the first time, hear that reassuring "click" and sit back grinning, waiting on my first display.

    To my Horror, the desktop finally fills the screen with a total of 20 shortcuts, 8 systray items, and a nagger, insisting that I phone home to register before proceeding. Have we become such sheep that we put up with this S**T??? How in the world would a first-timer possibly sort through all of this desktop garbage and start working?? Especially if such person wished to avoid the virus-ridden perils of "Outlook Express" and IE????

    I'm no lover of Netscape, but it was my own judgement that since this guy would be calling me for learning and help, I wanted the program I knew best running on his machine so I could talk him through problems over the intercom instead of constantly running over to the next building.

    The rant is almost over

    Even though NS was installed (but with no sortcut)--I've never seen a situation where one program was "pushed" into the face of the consumer over another in a more blatant way!!!.

    NS never once loaded a page, couldn't find our mail server, and locked up. OK--Head into preferences and double check settings and .... WTF? Half of the options are greyed out, --you can't even set your own preference for home page---OK, this is clearly a modified "Compaq"ed version.

    Dum da dum dum

    Uninstall NS and reinstall the full version from my trusty CD. Simple, right?

    I'll spare you the rest of the story...you've heard it all before. No NS, No IE--Hardlock on first web page with IE, Program lock on first page for NS...A red-faced former "friend" wondering why he asked me for help...and I'm facing at least a full day to install my own generic Win98, find all the proprietary drivers (Compaq bundles them on a "recovery CD" with no instructions) and pray.

    As Paddy said several months ago "Bill Gates IS evil" and the big consumer comp makers are his evil minions.

    Rant off!! Thanks. (Tim goes back to the couch to smoke.)


    Greebe's juiced up Athlon @750 on an MSI Irongate Based M/B Marvel G200 TV with HW/DVD Daughtercard,
    CDBurner, Creative DVD, two big WD Hdds, Outboard 56K modem
    Parallel Port Scanner, Creative S/B AWE 64 (ISA), and a new Logitech WebCam (My first USB device)

  • #2
    quoted from Bixler :Tim goes back to the couch to smoke.)

    was that a cigarette or flames from your head after that rant?? lol

    Comment


    • #3
      Netscape is evil.

      It's the main reason why I can't really find Linux or anything else useful enough. No IE no fun.

      I think it's an amazing achievement how they got it all the way to IE5 from the very poor IE2 (and 3 was pretty weak even). Being forced to use Netscape is worse than stepping into a pile of crap on the street.

      Having some competition in the browser market sure would be healthier but Microsoft really won this one with quite good software and a nice dose of strong-arm tactics.

      Comment


      • #4
        Ayoub: That's the traditional "after rant" cigarette. "It was good for me honey, was it good for you??"

        Thanks for the sympathies...it does help...a little.

        FDS: I'd gladly give up and let IE have control--if it would only run...if Compaq would only give me a CD from which to install it, (and only it!) if only I could go up on the net and D/L it...if only I had some background in this evilly integrated program. Yes, yes, I was a fool with the NS thing...

        As I said, I'm no real fan of NS, but it is obvious that this situation has deteriorated to the point that WinDoze and the Hardware Mfr's will not let another browzer run on this OS--At least the way that Compaq has configured it.

        And this evil little compaq cheapo gives you no choice but to wipe your system clean and start from scratch with some stupid little utility that wipes out Everything and reinstalls itself as if the computer were new.

        Anyway, thanks for letting me blow off some steam...Gates wins.--if I can only find a way to surrender.

        Sheesh!

        [This message has been edited by Bixler (edited 29 October 2000).]
        Greebe's juiced up Athlon @750 on an MSI Irongate Based M/B Marvel G200 TV with HW/DVD Daughtercard,
        CDBurner, Creative DVD, two big WD Hdds, Outboard 56K modem
        Parallel Port Scanner, Creative S/B AWE 64 (ISA), and a new Logitech WebCam (My first USB device)

        Comment


        • #5
          Empower yourself, Bix.. FDISK and format c:

          BWAHAHAHAHA.. die, Microsoft, DIE!!!

          Comment


          • #6
            KvHagedorn:

            I know, I know. If I only had a dime for every hour Bill and his minions have cost me on this mission.

            Me and My trusty 98Lite (IE remove) will once again MAKE NutScrape work...If only I can find the drivers for all for all the other hardware...I'll never look back.
            Greebe's juiced up Athlon @750 on an MSI Irongate Based M/B Marvel G200 TV with HW/DVD Daughtercard,
            CDBurner, Creative DVD, two big WD Hdds, Outboard 56K modem
            Parallel Port Scanner, Creative S/B AWE 64 (ISA), and a new Logitech WebCam (My first USB device)

            Comment


            • #7
              So let me try to understand this correctly. You're blaming all the troubles you had with a Compaq POS OEM machine on Microsoft? Nice logic. I don't want to get into a flame war about Netscape but it is now the biggest piece of crap out there. And first you say you're not technically savy yet you go on to blast something that by your own accord you know nothing about.

              virus-ridden perils of "Outlook Express" and IE????
              Hmm, last time I checked my version of IE and OE both came virus free. I'm assuming you're referring to the latest VB worm's. No one is forcing you to use Windows, IE or OE. You can easily load any mail client you want and any browser. I'm just really tired of people always bitching about Microsoft as they type it from their Windows box. I'll give you a link so you can rid that Compaq box of the bad evil Microsoft. http://www.cheapbytes.com
              Asus K7V
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              • #8
                Is it okay if I bitch about MS?

                ------------------
                MSI-6167 w/ Athlon 500@750 (thx Greebe!), 128MB Crucial PC133, G400MAX,SBLive!-MP3,Pioneer 10x DVD, Plextor 12/10/32A, a hard drive or two, and a Sony 420GS. Running RH7.0 (2.4.0-test8), and Win98 (when I have to).
                Gigabyte P35-DS3L with a Q6600, 2GB Kingston HyperX (after *3* bad pairs of Crucial Ballistix 1066), Galaxy 8800GT 512MB, SB X-Fi, some drives, and a Dell 2005fpw. Running WinXP.

                Comment


                • #9
                  MJ12:

                  We could devour hours here batting the ball back and forth--no care to do so, but if a guy can't occasionally blow off steam, then what is a soapbox for?

                  For good or ill (mostly, yes, ill) people have a tendency to stick with programs they've already learned. I admitted my own stupidity for this, no need for you to pile on.

                  What is clear (I'd just never run into such a blatant example) is that MS is pushing their browser in ways that stink. And in NS's defense--at least their browser didn't hardlock the whole machine...I was able to Close program and move on. IE required me to pull the power cord it locked so hard.

                  I'll sort through it--the rant has more to do with the methods used by MFR's and M$ to force a hapless newbie (my friend--not me) into certain patterns. This marketing dung is something I just hadn't had to mess with much since my own machines started with a clean install.

                  And yes, MJ--I'm typing this from a windows box--It isn't the OS--it's the OS owners methods that bug me. An OS should be small, clean, and with API's that allow source code to operate on top of it--not within it.
                  Greebe's juiced up Athlon @750 on an MSI Irongate Based M/B Marvel G200 TV with HW/DVD Daughtercard,
                  CDBurner, Creative DVD, two big WD Hdds, Outboard 56K modem
                  Parallel Port Scanner, Creative S/B AWE 64 (ISA), and a new Logitech WebCam (My first USB device)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    At least now I know what you meant, Tim. About the Compaquesque Windows approach

                    I had to install one of the new Compaq DeskPro's 2 at work today. They come with the new Intel 815 chipset, which didn't give me one problem (hell, what problem do you get with 3 PCI slots, one AGP slot and the videocard + soundcard built in on the mobo? ), but what staggered me was the range of options I got when I first turned on the PC:

                    Did I want to install...
                    Windows 98 SE, Dutch?
                    Windows 98 SE, English (American)?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, English?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, Russian?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, Yugoslavian, Slovakian?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, Greek?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, Chinese?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, Dutch?
                    Windows 95, OSR2, Y2K, Non W. European Countries? (Wonder what they are then )
                    and a couple of other options...

                    I chose Win95 English, and it would install itself, rebooted a couple of times inbetween, but I didn't need to do a thing, just set the clock...

                    And now my Win ME has crashed with the Start button open on screen, so I'll just submit this reply before it crashes totally
                    Using trusty NS 4.76, as it's the only program that still works The rest is just frozen solid. Thank God for IE integrated in Windows... Praise the Bill ...

                    Jord.



                    [This message has been edited by Jorden (edited 30 October 2000).]
                    Jordâ„¢

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Himself, The old media player is in the same folder as Media-player 7.

                      I think its \program files\Microsoft mediaplayer\mplayer2.exe (or something close).

                      Im at work on a 98SE machine, so cant check.

                      Ive changed all the file extentions that link to mp7 to the old one, and everything still works.

                      I hate that mp7 will dial up the net whenever you open it, and there is no way to stop it. Also how do you clear the previously played files (under file menu)?

                      Ali

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        if Compaq would only give me a CD from which to install it, (and only it!) if only I could go up on the net and D/L it...if only I had some background in this evilly integrated program. Yes, yes, I was a fool with the NS thing...
                        I cannot see why an integrated browser is a bad thing. Actually it's rather useful to have HTML rendering as a core feature. I doubt software developers mind that just about any PC they run on have IE integrated.

                        If anything, Microsoft was a bit late to have an integrated browser.

                        It simplifies and standardizes the interface for both developers and users. What more could you ask for? Like having not just any browser integrated but the best currently available? We get that too.

                        IE sure isn't perfect. It's also in danger of getting overly bloated and completely useless like MP7. Still it's the only browser worthy of using today.

                        What do you say about "My Computer" or "Search for files" etc? Would it be better if you had to go and install every single component seperately by hand? What makes HTML browsing capability without which you cannot really live without so special?

                        I'm more bothered by the fact that it took Microsoft until Windows Me to have built-in ZIP support (and a weak one at that) which is almost as essential as having a browser.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          One thing I know about compaq is they like putting the bios on the hardisk w hich is fine until hard disk is toast.
                          They also like putting Bios control applets into the control panel like old toshiba which is okay until you got joe bloggs whos lost every restore driver cd he's ever used and you can't download the info you need from the internet. This should never happen but I think we drifted a little from the orginal post.
                          Chief Lemon Buyer no more Linux sucks but not as much
                          Weather nut and sad git.

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                          • #14
                            IE doesn't crash NT.
                            C:\DOS
                            C:\DOS\RUN
                            \RUN\DOS\RUN

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                            • #15
                              IE 5.01 good. all other IE (except maybe 5.0) 5uxX0r5 big time. Nutscrape post 4.05 is crap (imsnho).
                              [size=1]D3/\/7YCR4CK3R
                              Ryzen: Asrock B450M Pro4, Ryzen 5 2600, 16GB G-Skill Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-25600 RAM, 1TB Seagate SATA HD, 256GB myDigital PCIEx4 M.2 SSD, Samsung LI24T350FHNXZA 24" HDMI LED monitor, Klipsch Promedia 4.2 400, Win11
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