Hi, I sat down and turned on my computer this afternoon and found it was getting to the XP logo screen with the green bar and then just starting again - i.e. a new start up.
I promptly rang my computer "supplier" when it happened about 3-4 times. He finished my sentence when I explained what was happening. He said thirty people have already rang him today about it. It's the XP - update the new one. I downloaded and installed it last night (the bloody program basically forces you to do it with it's alerts and what-not).
So that was done. And now this afternoon my computer is a usless paperweight..
I did try to start it in safe mode and do a system recovery there - but it didn't "work" - i.e. it wouldn't accept it and now when I try to get back into safe mode - it just like the other options goes to a black screen
GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
The guy said (as he tried to lead me through to the screen where you can choose a previous 'good' version) - that because that technique didn't work - that I'll have to take it in. And it's a big job - it'll be about 3-4 hours. Now he didn't mention price - but I'm assuming that I will have to pay him. Why should I have to pay him when I got the computer only in october. And I FOLLOWED what the program/Microsoft wanted me to do. It should be Microsoft fixing it for me - or re-embursing me the repair costs!!
He said I wouldn't loose my data - as he'll use a ghost screen - or what ever.
I hope this is correct and can be promptly fixed on Monday. (Think of all the businesses this will effect).
I'm using my P133 to type this. Lucky I still had it.
GRRR.
Can anyone help?
I don't know anyone who can help - and I tried RINGING Microsoft, here in Australia and they are closed on a weekend!
Thanks
Andrew
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
First of all... automatic updates are NOT mandatory. If you don't like them, either kill the update service and download everything yourself, or reconfigure it to act less paranoid. Simple as that.
If you have a bootable XP cd and your BIOS supports the option (which I assume it does), you can reinstall Windows on top of the FUBARed version without losing any of your data. If the cd isn't bootable, you'll need an XP bootdisk to access the cd-rom drive and manually enter the setup process.
Otherwise, ghosting the thing is your only viable alternative.
One last thing. Once you've got the machine up and running again, navigate to control panel --> performance/maintenance --> system --> advanced --> startup/recovery and disable "reboot on system error". Fun may then commence.
[ December 14, 2002, 11:14: Message edited by: E. Cartman ]
Posted by Tahna Los (Member # 33) on :
Cartman, do you have ICQ? I'm sending you my ICQ# via pm, please give me a ring. Thanks.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Trust Microsoft to screw up a security update...
I read a report about that notice yesterday, it got their highest alert rating, IIRC. And with them practically requiring everyone to install the update, they end up screwing up all of their clients.
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
Thank god, that in this case, I'm still using Win 98.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Oh yeah? Thank goodness I'm using Mac OS X!
(Ahem. Sorry...)
Posted by Trimm (Member # 865) on :
Well thank God I'm on Windows ME...no, wait scratch that. I hate ME.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
Ditto Trimm, but at least you and I have a OP that still works - say, do you have trouble shutting down too?
Well, well. Microsoft screws it up again - nice one: another nail in the coffin that will somehow never appear.
Bad luck AndrewR - hope everything gets fixed and that you don't lose all your data.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Funny. I don't have any problems with XP - it doesn't 'make' me update anything. Then again, the fact that you're using Home might have something to do with it (the green loading bar).
Posted by Teelie (Member # 280) on :
My girlfriend didn't mention any problems with her laptop. It runs XP Home. I'm still using good, solid, reliable 2000 Pro myself.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Well, the wanker who was working on my computer at the store said it was ok to stop a ghosting halfway through. He neglected to tell me that he had a message saying the partition was weak and the ghosting was taking place sector by sector. Got it home - cause microsucks phone support said they could advise me how to fix the problem for free over the phone. Turn on computer - errors!! They got me to try a few things - basically did nothing - they said take it back.
Took it back to the store - they said that they had so many computers to fix that they couldn't look at it for a few days. Told them about the errors - i coerced out of the dick who did my computer that i had errors - did he get them... "no, oh yes I got some notice and a screen I hadn't seen before..."
When I took it back the guy said that microsoft must have advised me incorrectly - wrong.
So Microsoft denied any wrong-doing - as did the computer store. Got a phone call the next day saying that all the data had been wiped. ARRRGH!
So I still had to pay them $75 to get the windows reinstalled and the updates installed etc. They didn't even put all the other programs on like they did the first time around. I asked them to transfer my old files from my old computer - "Oh, no - we can't do anything like that until after Christmas". Yeah, Thanks.
So bought aNOTHER network card for the NEW computer (already put one on the old one when I got my new computer a few months ago). Got a cross-over cable.
Now have a nice little network set up.
Transferred my files across.
So in summary - this is a nice big FUCK YOU Microsoft - for fucking my computer, loosing my data, and $130 bucks worth of hardware and labour.
Bastards.
Andrew
P.S. Windows feels different to me atm - I don't know if it is just my mind playing tricks on me but is there any settings that the Computer shop might have forgotten to set when they reinstalled Windows that would have a detriment to it's operating/internet speed?
Thanks
Andrew
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"...it was ok to stop a ghosting halfway through."
My knowledge of Ghost is quite limited, but this sounds rather untrue.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote:Originally posted by Topher: Funny. I don't have any problems with XP - it doesn't 'make' me update anything. Then again, the fact that you're using Home might have something to do with it (the green loading bar).
XP by default has the "Automatically scan for and download updates" setting turned on on most installations, I believe, both Home and Pro. Now, obviously you should turn this off and do it yourself, but I can see their logic. A large majority of people still have an Outlook Express that's vunerable to the Klez virus simply because in 4 years they've never visited Windows Update. It's a lose-lose situation.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
There are operating systems that don't say "Microsoft" anywhere on them, you know.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
But they have evil, scary things like "command lines".
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Oh, quite true. My point is, though, that if someone has really been so abused by Microsoft (and I don't doubt that many, many people have), there are other options.
If I were serious about my data, rather than just a poseur, I would scrounge together a second computer, it needn't be top of the line, toss Linux on it, and do all of my real work there, while keeping the higher-end machine running Windows so that I might continue to play games.
Unfortunately, I am not serious about my data, I don't even do backups, and am virtually assured of future disappointment. But, I'm just saying, the option is there.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: There are operating systems that don't say "Microsoft" anywhere on them, you know.
quote:Originally posted by TSN: But they have evil, scary things like "command lines".
It's called Mac OS X. And it doesn't have a command line interface unless you want to use it.
Apple does have a "Software Update" feature that automatically checks for updates, but it NEVER actually installs the updates until you tell it to. (I checked, there isn't even a preference that I could find that would have the program run any installers without direct authorization.)
One of the things that any computer geeks might find interesting is that the latest version of OS X includes journaling capabilities. They're not explicitly set up for the desktop version of OS X (as opposed to OS X Server, which is slightly different), but it can be enabled by users and is supposed to provide a greater level of data security for hard drives.
I'm not a big game person like some people, but I've very rarely regretted the fact that companies offer delayed support for the Mac. I still have (or will get) all of the games that I'm currently interested in, with the only exception being the "Starfleet Command" games. From my perspective, for a personal computer the availability of games is the only thing that the Windows platform really has over the Mac these days (for the interests of people who visit this forum, anyway).
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
People keep listing how wonderful Mac operating systems are. And no matter how hard I try to listen, I always find trying to touch my nose with my tongue much more interesting that actually reading the thread.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
You don't care; fine.
But I mention that here because there are some people out there getting shafted by Microsoft, and I thought they could be aware of some of the alternatives.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Most other operating systems can be installed onto the computer one already has that came with a Microsoft product. Using OS X would require an investment of another $1000 or so to buy the Mac itself.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Maybe so.
But I've never heard of a problem where a Mac's hard drive got consumed because of an automatic update... the simple fact is that from my experience, Macs are a hell of a lot more reliable.
Individual mileage may vary, of course. But that's no reason for me to just sit in the proverbial corner if I've got something to say, right?
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I don't doubt that Macs are more reliable. I do suspect though that because they are a bit of a niche machine (so to speak), the average user is likely to be fairly intelligent, whereas I'm sure the average Windows user is an idiot.
Posted by Toadkiller (Member # 425) on :
I'm not sure that is actually valid. I've worked at various places with Mac users that were no more technically literate than an average computer user w/ any other OS. They did however tend to be able to do more things more easily using Mac OS (that was in the "classic" era).
I've recently purchased my first Mac in some time (ibook) which, these days, runs the Unix based OS X. I'm 95% convinced that the move to Unix was a good choice for Apple and I'm 100% convinced that buying an OS from the same company that put your hardware together is a good idea - i.e. no driver issues, no incompatibility issues, etc.
Tech support also actually seems to be an option w/ Apple.
In short - for now I'm not planning to buy anything other than Apple computers for home/home office use. It runs everything I need, there are many more games available than I'll ever play, they are cheap to buy (cheap enough for me anyhow, ~$1000 for an entry level box w/ monitor) and they actually work. They are however, computers so they do in fact have the odd problem now and again - they certainly aren't perfect.
Somewhat more interesting than funny tongue tricks, at least if I'm all by myself....
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: I do suspect though that because they are a bit of a niche machine (so to speak), the average user is likely to be fairly intelligent, whereas I'm sure the average Windows user is an idiot.
I don't know for certain if this is true, but I read somewhere that Bill Gates actually bought an iMac for his mother because they were easier to use -- and specifically said that she doesn't call him with computer questions as often anymore.
This anecdote does sound like an urban legend, but I've seen the story quoted in several serious lists of Mac stories... so who knows?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I sincerely doubt it (Mrs. Gates the Elder is like a titanic powerhouse. I doubt she needs anyone to buy her computers.) But, even if it is true, why is it surprising? He owns, what, five percent of the company? Not to mention never having made the titanic mistake of uniting his software to propriatary hardware.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote:Originally posted by Toadkiller: I'm not sure that is actually valid. I've worked at various places with Mac users that were no more technically literate than an average computer user w/ any other OS.
I think you overestimate the average computer user. I'm not talking about people who know how to defrag their computer. I'm not talking about people who use them at work. I'm talking about the families where the son has to do everything because the parents don't even know how to shut the thing down.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Hmm... that's a good point. I haven't actually seen them sitting down at one yet, but my grandparents were recently talking about the computers that were recently donated to the apartment complex where they live. They apparently went to a couple of classes about basic computer operations. I love them dearly, but the thought of teaching a bunch of eighty-year-old people how to point-and-click is kind of terrifying to consider.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
My parents have gone to several classes over the past half a year, and yet whenever my Dad writes a letter, he does it in a tiny window because he can't quite grasp the "maximise" button. So I point it out to him. He uses it. Great, we all say. Next day, he's back in the small window. Or a window half off the edge of the screen. Or...
And I refuse to believe that the Mac is so amazingly user-friendly that it has a significantly easier way of doing that.
In short, old people are rubbish at everything ever.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: And I refuse to believe that the Mac is so amazingly user-friendly that it has a significantly easier way of doing that.
Can't argue with that.
I do know that my (other) grandfather has had his own computer for as long as I can remember. But then, he worked for GE back in the 60's and did work for NASA, so he was accustomed to computers anyway. (But he uses a Mac at home!)
My dad also had very little computer experience when we got our first computer in 1992 or 93. He got it mainly for his business, but I remember all sorts of interesting episodes in the early years.
But you're right -- for the people who are completely computer-illiterate, a lot of the details are probably the same between Macs and Windows. Although I can guarantee that the current Mac systems make maintenance a whole lot easier than what I've seen on a Windows machine...
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
ah, the horrors of telling them to right-click and they write "click".
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
HELP! HELP!
I just switched my PC on and it said that my CPU value had changed - go to CMOS and restort default value. When it finally let me boot up, it said that my printer port was a new hardware device but quietly foound all the necessary files.
WTF does all this mean and why did it do it? Why now? I haven't installed any new hardware/software (except a re-installation of my printer files when it went silly around XMAS Day). Anyone have anything really helpful for this un-technical person who is very frustrated and worried with his PC?
Cheers
-AK
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Well, my advice would usually be:
If it's working, then don't worry about it.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
Thanks.
Given my experience with the two PCs that I've owned, you'll have to forgive me for not being satisfied with that reply.
The guy I bought it from asked if I have an AMD processor. Why did he ask that? Is it significant and should I be worried? It's an Intel one, incase you were wondering.
Anyway, I've had it with PCs - I intend (after my exams and while I hunt for a job) to get some books and learn about the machine I'm using. Apart from switching it on, loading and un-loading stuff, I know not what I be using.
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
"I just switched my PC on and it said that my CPU value had changed - go to CMOS and restort default value."
It's a long shot, but the CMOS battery might be nearing the end of its life. DON'T PANIC, they are replaceable.
"When it finally let me boot up, it said that my printer port was a new hardware device but quietly foound all the necessary files. I haven't installed any new hardware/software (except a re-installation of my printer files when it went silly around XMAS Day)"
This is normal behaviour, if you didn't reboot after installing the printer software.
"The guy I bought it from asked if I have an AMD processor."
Erh? He sold you his hardware but didn't know the type of CPU that came with it?
"Is it significant and should I be worried?"
Maybe and maybe. I'll need a little more to work with here...
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
Name it and you'll have it.
CMOS battery dying after 12 months? Is that possible?
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
If it was a bad one to begin with, sure.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
quote:Just go into the bios and reset it, possibly caused by a power surge, do you have a surge protector fitted?
What the guy (that I bought it from) said.
Well, it's working now, so I'm just gonna wait until my last exam finishes on the 18th before deleting anything I don't want to save/use and then back everything up for safety. I can't believe that it's been one year since I backed My Documents up! I'm a bad, bad boy!
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I'm a bad, bad boy!