How windows has been tarnished

I have been using the Windows OS for a long time now and have been since the 3.11 days and I have always liked it and never really ever had any issues with it. I always hear about people having issues with there systems and I am amazed with some of the things that people have issues with. Now I also have been a computer tech for 14 years now and have seen about every issue possible but the funny thing is that you always run into something new. Now that being said it is my opinion that most these issues start when someone buys a computer. I worked at a store that sold custom systems with no bloatware and we had very little issues and a lot of the systems coming in were other brand names. Microsoft needs to regulate better on what these big name computers are leaving the doors with and also the big name systems need to do a better job in prepping there system with better installs.

I would like to know what you would do different as a OEM or manufacturer to that would help to give Windows a better name.

For me I would install the system with windows and of course the latest drivers. I would throw on some cool custom themes and maybe a document with tips on what you can do to get more performance and other misc things on your system. I would throw on a CD with apps that they could install so you dont get a system with a lot of stuff you do not want. I would also have detailed info on each app and a star rating.

 

i hate when people rag on windows and they barely even used it. i love windows and never had a problem with it. but i do wish they have a move button instead of just copy

 

We install SpywareBlaster, Firefox, Adobe Reader, Java, Flash, and Spybot SD. This gives you a fair amount of protection against spyware, which I think is one of the main things that causes issues for people. We also offer free bench diagnostics for our computers, for life, so when people have those little quirks they can get them fixed quickly, free of charge.

...select files... right click (and keep it held down)... drag files to the new location... release right click... select move files here.


Alternatively (what I always do) is Control+X to cut and then Control+V to paste. It's the same as "move"

 

That is awesome hep. That is what these big names need to look at and start to innovate in that area. If they would do that, then the computer industry would have a huge change for the better over night.

 

Unfortunately, the bloatware is where the margins are for the big retailers, so they'll not be stopping that any time soon.

 

Which is a shame. Companies like HP, Dell, Gateway and more would have way more potential and respect if they just cleaned up there install. A lot of the stuff they stick on just makes the system run like crap even if you try to uninstall it. I am no way a Mac fan but I must say that is one area that they do right and is why there systems run great even after a year of use. If the PC makers do not change there ways and continue to put crap on there systems then I think Mac will continue to gain market share for many more years.

 

I like Windows too but feel that its unfair to other Operating systems that Microsoft can push a bad product to the market by forcing it on us and then improve it slowly over time till they finally get it right. And when they do get it right, its already time for the next version which would follow the same cycle.

If Apple does a rethink on its strategy and introduce atleast one line of cheap macs running on its OS, more and more people could get familiarized with the environment and probably that would encourage sales of the middle end and the higher end models.

 

If you use Vista, install WinBubble, it gives you optino to add things to the contaxt menu, one of these is "Copy To..."

OB

 

Microsoft should regulate the quality of software that is being installed on its platform? I think this would destroy Microsoft's biggest advantage, which is any two bit developer can release software for Windows.

Window's flexibility is its greatest strength. Some might find it to be its biggest weakness. Consumers like all in one packages where they can buy from one company and they deliver everything all inside one big box with a bow tie. Enterprise users want flexibility. They want to know any piece of software their company uses will be supported. That includes software that maybe some two bit whack job wrote in an hour, but it works for them.

Windows suffers from trying to please too many people at once, which is IMO its biggest strength. It is a weakness in the light of a novice who does not have much time and knowledge invested in their machines, unlike a business which will heavily invest in the software for years to come.

My advice for consumers is run your users on a limited account. And invest
in a good backup solution. You spend about $200 now on an automated backup software and harddrive or pay God knows how much to get Geeksquad to get your computer back up and running.

 

yes, consumers like their pc to come ready with everything they need. there are people out there who are forced to use a computer but don't know the first thing about what software it uses and so on. there are people that if you ask them what their ISP is, they say google, or firefox or whatever but the correct answer. so you cannot expect these people to install windows by themselves and making it work, or evaluate what software they need.

 

You should really try Foxit Reader instead of Adobe (free). It is much less bloated so loads almost instantly, doesn't run at startup (for updates) and doesn't cripple Internet Explorer when opening a PDF.

 

Steven, I, and most other people in our shop use FoxIt on their personal computers, the issue is that you cannot print PDFs from the free version of FoxIt. We installed it on some computers for a while, and this is what we saw:
1) People would complain when it wouldn't print
OR
2) People would just install adobe reader anyway, and get a ton of other garbage on the way.

 

I printed a PDF off the internet the other day from within Foxit Reader. Print is the third button on the main toolbar . Are you using version 2.3?

But I see your point. If people are complaining, then it is in your interest to provide a solution/alternative.

 

Well, I haven't tried to print off the free version in a while, for me it was worth buying the pro version. But I believe it was version 2.1 that I could not print, and it will print, but it won't print everything. What I had were scanned documents, and you could see black around the edge of the pages where the scanner lid was lifted. When you printed, no text came out, only the border around the edge. Some research showed me that I could not print in the free version, so I upgraded to Pro on the spot. No problems since.