Number 296 - January 2008
Another Vista Horror Story - Going Backwards
by Grant Fuller, Big Blue and Cousins,
Greater Victoria PC Users' Association, November 2007


   I bought my wife a new computer. It is a PC and all PCs come with Windows Vista - at least that was the case in the store where I bought this one. As I explored the new operating system, I came to believe that Vista was a rearrangement of everything offered in Windows XP. I could not find anything in Vista that was not offered in XP, but because everything was redesigned and in a different place, it required learning the operating system all over again.

   "I had to set the options to power down the display and I just left the hard drive on. Before I could get the system working properly, we had a very short power failure. A few seconds passed and I rebooted the computer. I was greeted with a dialogue that said that I had entered the wrong activation code."

   Oh, there is something that Vista did that I had not experienced in XP. That was a refusal to shut down. I had to set the options to power down the display and I just left the hard drive on. Before I could get the system working properly, we had a very short power failure. A few seconds passed and I rebooted the computer. I was greeted with a dialogue that said that I had entered the wrong activation code.

   I assume that Windows Vista is registered and activated before it gets to the store, because it operated fine for the first day or so. However, the customer is not given the original installation discs as we once were. We are required to make our own discs from a partition on the hard drive. If Vista won't let you in because you don't have an activation code, you can't make the recovery disc. The proper and recommended action at this point would be to phone Microsoft and get help. I had visions of being bound in miles of red tape and on the floor trying to get numbers off the back or bottom of the tower box. In my wisdom, I decided to go to Future Shop to see if there is such a thing as a universal recovery disc for Vista.

   Here is a close approximation of the conversation I had with the sales guy at Future Shop:

   FS guy: "Can I help you"
   Me: "Yes, I have a problem with Vista..."
   FS guy: "Did you make a recovery disc?"
   Me: "No"
   FS guy: "You should always make a recovery disc."
   Me: "Yes...but..."

   FS guy: "That's the first thing we tell people when we sell them a new computer."
   Me: "...make a recovery disc?"
   FS guy: "That's right. You should always make a recovery disc."
   Me: "Surely I'm not the first person in the world that didn't make a recovery disc before the system crashed. Is there no other way to get a recovery disc?
   FS guy: Well, you can try phoning Microsoft but I think it will cost you about fifty bucks.

   One of my favourite TV shows this year is "Beauty and the Geek". It competes teams of brainy but not very attractive boys with not so brainy but very attractive girls. My FS guy was a beauty.

   At the time, I felt it was not worth trying to save Vista if it meant more of this frustration so I decided to install Linux with the idea that I would take the time to teach it to my wife. After all, I was going to have to learn Vista and teach it to her, so why not make the big switch now?

   I installed Linux and all went well except for my wireless connection. Some drivers were not available for Linux because their manufacturers will not release the source code. This can make it awkward, but not impossible, to accommodate any necessary hardware. I worked on that for two weeks, off and on. I bought a new wireless adapter and even a new router. I needed the router anyway but the adapter was chosen for its level of comfort with Linux. Still, I could not get an internet connection and the only reason my wife wants a computer is for email and internet. I worked on that for a week. I went to the computer service place here in Comox and asked if they had a Linux expert. I had to wait till they stopped laughing. Apparently, people choose Linux because it is more like a build-it yourself kit and that means fixing it yourself as well. I did get some help from the service guy. He said, "We have had numerous requests to remove Vista and have XP put back on the new computers. We can get the program for $150 and we will install it for $150. So for a measly $300 you are back in business."

   I rushed home to see if I could find the original XP disc from 2001 when it was first introduced. I found it, but would it install on the new hard drive? The computer that originally employed this program was now in the recycle system. I began to install it but it asked if it could format the disc to eliminate certain obstacles that were preventing it from proceeding. That was Vista, so formatting was really saying goodbye to everything on the drive. I formatted, the install went well, registering and activation were done in seconds, and the machine is working just fine.

   Copyright (C) 1990-2007 by Big Blue and Cousins: The Greater Victoria Personal Computer Users' Association. www.bbc.org
  Number 296 - January 2008