Reasons I dislike Windows XP

[Ishcabittle]

1. Installing an application is easy. Uninstalling an application, and having all of its components removed from the system, reliably that is, seems impossible.

2. I can keep my system relatively sharp. Troubleshooting someone else's XP system is about the biggest pain in the arse you could ask for.

3. Something as simple as a documents folder shouln't be repeated six times throughout the directory tree.

I'll add more as I think of them, feel free to chime in.

disclaimer: This isn't a "what OS is better thread", this is "what sucks about XP" thread.

 

[Sarek]

How about it's a Microsoft product.

That should pretty much cover the spectrum.

 

[Ishcabittle]

Well, yeah. You're right.

I'm talkin' specifics, however.

4. There are a hundred and one error messages that pop up, explaining that something is going wrong, and when you click "ok" they go away and it seems that nothing is wrong.

5. When opening an application, often times you'll have no indicator that the computer is processing your request. So you click the quick-launch item again. And again. Then you suddenly have six IE windows open.

 

[Mentalist]

1. Installing an application is easy. Uninstalling an application, and having all of its components removed from the system, reliably that is, seems impossible.

The default uninstaller is retarded. Use Third-Party uninstall apps.

2. I can keep my system relatively sharp. Troubleshooting someone else's XP system is about the biggest pain in the arse you could ask for.

95% of the pyblic can't look after their systems. Since it really isn't that hard I chalk it up to being mentally deficiant. Though of course XP is prone to it's own fits, almost always the system has been abused to get itself into a state of disrepair.

3. Something as simple as a documents folder shouln't be repeated six times throughout the directory tree.

Diffeent user access. It's poorly planned and annoying. I agree.

XP doesn't have any fucking DOS support meaning old apps and games just don't work, this is unforgivable, you can usually get round it but just to play Discworld I had to write my own .BAT file to skip VGA detection and use VMS sound to configure the plugin. I then had to copy allt he files over from the CD and replace my .BAT file with the default one run that in VMS run sound detection in VMS and then finally the game in VMS.

Just to play Discworld.

:|


Vista will be killer. XP is fucking nearly 6 years old now.

 

[MessengerX]

Vista will be killer.

Windows Vista will also have numerous anti-piracy measures. In fact, if your home movies aren't stamped with some company license, you won't be able to view them in full resolution.

IIRC they were working with Intel to enforce anti-piracy by restructuring the hardware (motherboard, CPU.)

 

[FBI parte due]

Jesus Christ.

That's the main reason I'm making the switch to Linux.

 

[Mentalist]

You're allmost right, MX. Actually you played it down somewhat. If Vista doesn't recognise DMA protection it won't allow the video to be played through the offending output device. On some older HDTV's they have an old system and they will drop the res and let you play it in DVD quality.

I'm sure everyone remembers the harcoded nightmare of having our hardware anti-pirated off the hilt. Luckily that hasn't transpired yet.

Vista is software, it will be a solid OS and it won't be hard to break the piracy protection down to nothingness with a quick hack some genius comes up with.

You know the Windows Update service that stops people updating Pirated copies of XP?

javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')

^Post that in your address bar and goodbye version check.


Microsoft can never defeat the will to ruin their policing tactics.

 

[RobL]

I still have Windows ME.

 

[Colonel Kira's Left Tit]

I don't actually dislike XP all that much, but I can probably list a few things I could do without.

1. The dreadful Luna default theme. Damned ugly, that one is. Changed it immediately upon installation.

2. The "new" start menu, control panel, search functions, and a plethora of other things that I suppose were meant to be more user friendly but actually aren't. Also shitcanned immediately after installation.

3. Service Pack 2's Security Center. :roll: Yes, I really want to download and install this application! Killed it, along with Windows Firewall.

4. Never really cared for the way user accounts were handled, along with all the My Documents/My Photos/My Music/My This/My That nonsense. Fuck it.

5. Too many worthless services running at startup. Many manually disabled.

6. Product activation. Sorry, but if I'm going to shell out $300-odd for an OS, I'm going to install it on as many of my machines as I want without phoning home for permission, thanks.

7. System Restore. Doesn't actually work most of the time, and it's a nice place for virii to hide. Killed it.

Probably more later...

 

[Mentalist]

WINDOWS ME!?!?!

thats like the worst version of windows you could possibly have. You'd be much better off with 98 SE.

 

[RobL]

WINDOWS ME!?!?!

thats like the worst version of windows you could possibly have. You'd be much better off with 98 SE.

Every time I try to download, upload, upgrade, or basically do anything it blows up in my face. So, I stopped trying a few years ago.

Though, I recently upgraded to a DSL, and all of that instalation (including opening up my computer and installing a ethernet card) went off without a hitch. So, I'm thinking I might have gotten over that jinx.

 

[Mentalist]

Get a copy of XP!

ME is just horrible.

 

[RobL]

I've had this computer since 00. I really don't think its worth upgrading at this point.

As soon as I get my income tax refund (if I get one), I'll probably get a new laptop and stop using this one.

 

[NeonMercuryASH]

Even the cheap laptops are better than what you have.

 

[FBI parte due]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/trial.mspx

It only lasts 360 days, but you can always redownload it.

 

[RobL]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/trial.mspx

It only lasts 360 days, but you can always redownload it.

Unfortunately, I have a Pentium III. Not a IV.

 

[Ishcabittle]

The default uninstaller is retarded. Use Third-Party uninstall apps.

See, it never would have occured to me to look for a third party uninstaller... the one provided talks all this shit about how you have to uninstall shit with it. I'm studying to get MCDST certified and in the fucking book they're all, "We don't recommend using an application's provided uninstaller... it's best to go to Add and Remove Programs and uninstall it from there..." Fuckers.

95% of the pyblic can't look after their systems. Since it really isn't that hard I chalk it up to being mentally deficiant. Though of course XP is prone to it's own fits, almost always the system has been abused to get itself into a state of disrepair.

[macasshole] This is the one place where I will compare OSs... If your system is messy beyond belief and you've done your absolute best to fuck it up, I can still fix things pretty easy in OS X. Making a mess doesn't effect the core system, in XP it seems that is does. [/macasshole]

Diffeent user access. It's poorly planned and annoying. I agree.

XP doesn't have any fucking DOS support meaning old apps and games just don't work, this is unforgivable, you can usually get round it but just to play Discworld I had to write my own .BAT file to skip VGA detection and use VMS sound to configure the plugin. I then had to copy allt he files over from the CD and replace my .BAT file with the default one run that in VMS run sound detection in VMS and then finally the game in VMS.

I am just as disappointed about that as you are, I had an itchen to play something old as soon as I got my PC. Something like Autoduel or Mechwarrior. I gave up because I needed 3.5 inch floppies. I'm not buying floppies, world, you can cut that shit right out.

 

[Ishcabittle]

I don't actually dislike XP all that much, but I can probably list a few things I could do without.

1. The dreadful Luna default theme. Damned ugly, that one is. Changed it immediately upon installation.

2. The "new" start menu, control panel, search functions, and a plethora of other things that I suppose were meant to be more user friendly but actually aren't. Also shitcanned immediately after installation.

3. Service Pack 2's Security Center. :roll: Yes, I really want to download and install this application! Killed it, along with Windows Firewall.

4. Never really cared for the way user accounts were handled, along with all the My Documents/My Photos/My Music/My This/My That nonsense. Fuck it.

5. Too many worthless services running at startup. Many manually disabled.

6. Product activation. Sorry, but if I'm going to shell out $300-odd for an OS, I'm going to install it on as many of my machines as I want without phoning home for permission, thanks.

7. System Restore. Doesn't actually work most of the time, and it's a nice place for virii to hide. Killed it.

Probably more later...

Doesn't that seem odd that Windows power users effectively turn off half of Windows as soon as they install it? Is it just me or did MS get pretty near half of their operating system wrong?

Does anyone else feel like the OS itself is talking down to you, but then making some concepts so unintuitive that you have to be a genius to make them work (Mentalist's .bat file, Col. Kira's Left Tit's service slashings, etc.)? To turn off services at startup you have to type msconfig.exe in the run line, who's going to just "figure that out" one day on their own?

Vista.

I've so much hope for this OS it's scary. I'm aware that if Vista is really easy and powerful then OS X may be squashed underfoot, but, you know what? I'm tired of troubleshooting a shitty OS that happens to be the most popular. I'd like to troubleshoot a not-so-shitty popular OS for my pay.

So kick some major fucking ass, Vista. You owe it to the world. We've had to put up with your shit for too long for you to not rock the ever-loving shit out of my machine with your new hotness.

 

[RobL]

So, I should wait to buy my new computer till Vista comes out? And when is that exactly?

 

[The Question]

1. Installing an application is easy. Uninstalling an application, and having all of its components removed from the system, reliably that is, seems impossible.

Ahknutchabean.

2. I can keep my system relatively sharp. Troubleshooting someone else's XP system is about the biggest pain in the arse you could ask for.

That's because, as with any OS, an ounce of prevention is worth six steaming bowel-fuls of cure. And most people are either too stupid or too lazy to heft that holy ounce.

3. Something as simple as a documents folder shouln't be repeated six times throughout the directory tree.

This is very true -- the only real defense of this concept on MS's part would be redundancy in case of accidental deletion, except XP just doesn't work that way.

I'll add more as I think of them, feel free to chime in.

How about process resurrection? If I turn off Windows Media Player, first of all, I want that fucker turned off. I shouldn't ever have to open the Task Manager and terminate the process just to make that happen. And since I sometimes do have to go to the trouble to terminate the process to kill the app, I do not want that process coming right back online between 0.25 and 2 seconds later. And it seems like MS apps are the worst offenders -- specifically, Windows Media Player and Messenger. Plus, Messenger has the particularly nasty habit of adding itself back into the Startup process, no matter how you remove it, whether it be through MSConfig.exe or through Services.msc.