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Microsoft's Vista Is Not For The Faint of Heart

I needed a new computer. I decided to buy an HP Pavilion Notebook on sale at a local retailer. The HP notebook only came with Microsoft Windows Vista software. There were no new computers of any brand available with Windows XP any longer. (I know it's possible to buy XP and change the OS, but who wants to go to that much trouble?)

To put it bluntly, Vista is a nightmare. So far I've spent roughly 20 hours on the phone with Tech support from both HP and Microsoft. In general, the support staff have tried to be helpful but don't know how to diagnose, much less fix, the multitude of Vista issues. Among the many nasty surprises I've had with Vista are the following:
  • Initially ITunes was un-usuable until I discovered (by myself without help from any Microsoft or HP tech support who should have known this) that a Microsoft Vista update was required to have been installed before installation of ITunes 7.3.
  • Having fixed ITunes myself, I then discovered that my IPOD itself was also un-usable, because it somehow causes Vista to fail to restart.
  • My HP printers are obsolete as HP decided not to migrate them to Vista
  • None of my older Thumb drives work with Vista
  • The HP docking station for the Notebook running Vista has driver problems with Vista
  • The Microsoft approach to Vista compatibility seems to me to aimed solely at upgrading existing PCs running XP to Vista. There is almost no help from Microsoft at identifying compatibility issues or installation problems with existing software (i.e. ITunes) on the Vista OS in a new computer.

Why am I enduring this punishment? I have yet to discover anything even remotely better about Vista in everyday operation. Microsoft lists twelve things I should be grateful for, but I don't get it with any of them:

  1. Aero Aesthetics - I'm not that impressed with the "translucent" aesthetic UI. Initially I find that it seems to cause active windows to be very touchy and annoyingly easy to close by accident.
  2. Common Controls - So what, they finally made the UI controls relatively consistent across the OS and Office suites.
  3. Notifications - So far, I'm feeling notified to death.
  4. Search Boxes - So what? Now I've got a whole bunch of search boxes that still take me to places that have information that is of little of no value.
  5. Task Dialogs - This computer is for my wife who would be the first to admit that she is not now, nor does she ever want to be, tech savy. So "task dialogs" are a new source of dread and frustration. "Oh my god, there are six choices for this task, what do I do now?"
  6. Aero Wizards - Wizards are not new? OK maybe they got the look and feel more consistent of something. Big deal.
  7. Common Dialogs - We're talking files and folders here gang. Haven't really seen much improvement, and the new "look" caused me to have to rethink how to use it.
  8. Control Panels - I immediately put it back in Control Panel classic view because I just don't have time for all the control panel improvements such as "a more scalable interface that can better handle large sets of settings." Just what I wanted a larger set of settings?
  9. Style and Tone - I will give them an "A" for effort here. So far I haven't run across any of those old nasty-grams from Microsoft like "you failed to properly...do this or that." They've toned it down with a new friendly writing style and tone of voice.
  10. Icons - They think the Icons are better than they use to be at describing what they do. Personally, I can't tell the difference. They are prettier.
  11. System Font (Segoe UI) - They also thing their new font is the cats pajamas. It just looks like Arial narrow to me.
  12. User Account Control - They don't even know what this is, there is no explaination for what they mean.

Have fun if you try Vista, I sure did.

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