Just sometimes Bill really gets my goat!

[piskieinboots]

Bill Gates that is - the lovely chap sends us down free (thank you) updates to ensure he always knows what we are....erm I mean so that we can ensure our systems work to optimum performance at all times.

Right?

Wrong!

Bill sent one such update down this morning and POOF no more interwebbly access for Piskie
*see Piskie shake and go cold turkey

Following several system checks, calls to BT, hammers, I think to myself 'sysrestore' - clever girl that I am. I sent my system back to yesterday and POOF interwebbly up all and running good time

So if that happens to you, just do a system restore and do a thumb to Bill

[Capsid]

Why use Microsoft, open source is the way forward!

Use Ubuntu for your operating system.

Mozilla Firefox for the internet browser.

Thunderbird or gmail or Yahoo is the email client.

[lynda66]

i use windows cos it was already on the laptop when i got it, i can't be bothered looking for other software that i use regularly, to run on ubuntu lol, but i do use firefox, and only use online emails like hotmail ans fsmail, then if my pc crashes i've still got all my emails, and my photos are all stored on disk and photo bucket.

if it goes wrong, its usually time to format it anyway

[Kristen]

"Why use Microsoft, open source is the way forward!"

Yeah right.

Why isn't 99% of the world using it then?

I've been hearing that "this is the year of Linux" for the last 20 years ...

.. if you are the sort of person that used to lift the bonnet of your car on a Saturday afternoon, and have a tinker, then fine. But PCs are now for-the-masses, and that tinkering isn't "for-the-masses"

The shame is that the car industry analogy, applied to PCs, of "I fitted a funky new wing mirror and now my engine won't start" has not become regarded as the terrible thing that it should be.

Ralph Nader - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ralh Nader did a great service to the automotive industry way back. Cars were killing people and he made sure that folk knew about it, and that companies were held accountable. Trouble is Microsoft et al. change computer software every year or two to keep it fashionable (just like almost everyone throws away a perfectly good mobile phone in the belief that the new one will be streets-better) .. when actually folk don't need the change, and its very hard for everyone to cope with a life cycle that is less than 10 years long. And it isn't killing anyone / many people, so there isn't the backlash that would make a difference.

Someone needs to shake up the PC industry, that's for sure.

Hopefully now that Bill is spending all his money fighting Malaria in Africa [which I applaud] some of the heat will go out of the race to upgrade

[piskieinboots]

you speak with wise tongue Kristen.

I am (I will never live this down) one of those that read Bill's books and admired him much. Whatever your views on him/the industry - he did give us all easy access and easy access NOW.

I'm sure Apple would have got there eventually but Bill say it and grasps it and chucked it at us - fair play to him.

My usual tongue-in-cheek style post at the start was just that - but the system restore is an oft overlooked tool that can really help us non(ish)-techies.

[willowstar]

you're not alone piskie...I like Bill Gates too and really admire the Bill and Melissa Gates foundation they fund a lot of good work.

[piskieinboots]

same thing happened today!

Download downloaded - installed - stuffed up my system - again, I did another restore BUT this can't go on....so here is the problem, if you have ZoneAlarm as your FW as I do - look here for fix

[Alison]

Why use Microsoft, open source is the way forward!

Use Ubuntu for your operating system.

Mozilla Firefox for the internet browser.

Thunderbird or gmail or Yahoo is the email client.

I don't have any choice at work and would much rather use the same systems at home as at work - saves any confusion.

[di]

On similar subject we had our pooter infiltrated by a fraud antivirus(or rather andi accidently invited it in!),wouldn't let us do anything~totally overran our existing antivirus&for a while thought we were gonna be paying megabucks to get rid:a puter know how friend tried with no avail,wouldn't even let us do a sysyem restore.finally our spyware updated;found it & I had great pleasure in killing it!!
But warning to any non-techies~they have a symbol that looks identical to Windows security,&apparently a LOT of peeps have been caught out by them.~won't write their name in case it creates a link!!(not that i'm paranoid or nowt!)

[Capsid]

I don't have any choice at work and would much rather use the same systems at home as at work - saves any confusion.

Yes, I am the same and use MS office and XP at work and home, although I am allowed to run Firefox which I prefer.

I just wanted to point out that there are alternatives and they look and feel very similar to the Microsoft software, so there isn't a big learning curve.

[piskieinboots]

it's a good point Capsid and I understand they are excellent if you are a home user - but have heard bad reports concerning integration with other platforms.

I haven't tried myself - too scared to upset the applecart I guess and all my clients use MS products so for now I'll have to stay loyal to our Bill

[HeyWayne]

I am a Bill fan too - well done dude.

Fired up my laptop this morning and it asked if I wanted to install updates - said for it to remind me in 4 hours. Problem was I forgot about it, went to lunch and came back to an updated laptop. All my screen had changed to white on black (icons/toolbars/documents etc). A quick change via display settings and all is good.

The thing I find with Windows is that it's quite intuative - you expect things to work a certain way and they generally do - without the need for an IT related degree.

I'm being forced to use Lotus Notes for emails at work - what a chuffing labourious pain in the @rse that is! Plus the fact that all my files are held remotely - soooooo slooooooow.

Bring back Outlook all is forgiven!!

[Alison]

I have to use lotus notes at work to - thought that i was the only one.

On a more positive point, we're migrating to outlook soon - horay!!!!!!

[SlugLobber]

We used to use that (Lotus Notes), years ago. Hated it! That and Feelance Graphics. Right royal pain in the bottie region!

[piskieinboots]

eeeewwww NOTES yuk! Should we start a therapy group for ex and current LN users? You all have my deepest heartfelt sympathies.

I am a total Bill babe

I'm currently working with a new client that has an Exchange version of Outlook, I am so impressed, it works a treat - she is in Turkey, I am in Benson and it is seamless - so long as Bill doesn't stuff up my net connect (refer you to above)

I remember in the early days of remote working, I would have to send .pst files to grab a client's calendar and they would send it back - oh so slow. This (Exchange) has freed my life to do erm other things