Posted on 10/29/2001 9:50:25 AM PST by Black Cat
My copy of Win XP arrived today but when I tried to upgrade from ME, I got a fatal error message -- 3E6h, if anyone knows what that means. When I called MS tech support, I was told there would be a very long wait for assistance so I thought I'd see if anyone here could help...
Here's the situation -- since I can't upgrade, I thought I'd just do a clean install, so I clicked on that option but when I got to the partition screen, I clicked to install XP on C: drive (which is where ME is installed) and got a warning screen about having multiple OSs on one partition. I assumed that XP would just replace ME, but it seems that may not be the case.
I sure don't want to end up with a computer that doesn't work at all, so what should I do? Just go ahead and install XP over the top of the current installation on the current partition or something else.
Thanks in advance and nice to have someplace to go for help other than MS... :)
Dear Family and Friends:
I'm sending you this information to balance the overwhelming tidal wave of hype coming from Micro$oft touting it's newest version of Windows, Windows XP, to be released commercially on Oct. 25. Many technology journalists are praising it's virtues, but you probably would too, if M$ kept sending you free software, and paid for your trips to "spread the word." The information I'm presenting here is from a wide variety of sources, including The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, USA Today, and The Economist. Just in case any of you are considering upgrading your computer's operating system to Microsoft Windows XP, I highly recommend you consider *not* doing it due to the underhanded tactics Microsoft has incorporated into its purchase.
Please read the following articles for more information:
Meet The Dark Side of Windows XP
By David Coursey, AnchorDesk
I have spent six months using, thinking about, studying, and answering your questions about Windows XP. My overall conclusions are positive, but there are some issues that either need to be resolved or that potential users may not know about or understand.
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ZDNet hoists the black flag:
LINK!
MS Controlling the "Activation" of XP
For the first time, Microsoft plans to force families to buy a separate, full-price copy of Windows for each PC they upgrade. Each copy is expected to cost around $100. Not only that, but the company's method for enforcing this rule, a system called "product activation," requires you to let Microsoft create and store a profile of the configuration of every PC on which you install Windows XP -- even if only a single machine is involved. This profile allows Microsoft to "lock" each copy of Windows XP to one specific PC. If you don't allow Microsoft to collect this information, your copy of Windows XP will simply stop working in 30 days. And even if you comply, your copy of Windows XP might still stop working at some point if (like me) you make a lot of changes to your PC's hardware.
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XP Upgrade Cost:
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Office XP isn't a "must upgrade" for two reasons. First, if you're already comfortable with Office, there's no reason to break with your routine and spend more money. Second, this version of Office sports a hidden agenda that is less commendable than its interface improvements. It has a number of features designed to make it a launching pad for various paid Internet services Microsoft wants to sell, or help its business partners sell, over the next year.
LINK!
Groups Push FTC to Act on MS XP, Passport
The Electronic Privacy Information Center and a coalition of consumer and privacy groups have renewed their calls for Federal Trade Commission action to protect consumers from the privacy risks associated with Windows XP and Passport. In a letter sent to the FTC, the groups criticized the FTC for not upholding its statutory duty to protect consumers in light of the planned release of Windows XP. So who here thinks the FTC is going to block Windows XP? Me neither. The other remedies requested (toward the middle of the letter) are interesting, though.
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More information on the groups' previous FTC complaints is stored on the EPIC Microsoft Passport Page.
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USAToday discovers the new upgrade scheme, designed to milk every last cent out of those who've locked themselves into Windows:
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What's the cost of little or no competition? For some Microsoft customers, it's paying as much as 107 percent more for the software they buy in volume.
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Tech-report.com goes a bit more in depth on the same subject:
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MS discusses its plans to control how you compute (by the way, the license agreement for Windows Media Player now allows Microsoft to disable any software on your computer - you do read those license agreements, don't you?);
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DOE Issues Microsoft XP/Office Warning The U.S. Department of Energy's own computer-security watchdogs have a warning for Microsoft Windows XP and Office users who want to keep their work secret: The Redmond, Wash., software giant might be able to read their PC's minds. The Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC) - whose motto is "Keeping DOE Secure" - this week issued a bulletin warning privacy-conscious users that the Internet-connected bug-reporting capabilities of Windows XP or Office in combination with recent versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser could disclose sensitive data to Microsoft.
LINK!
Microsoft: The Gatekeeper of the Internet
Windows XP May Spark Ultimate Battle To Own The Internet C|net News.com is embarking on a seven day comprehensive report on how Microsoft is moving themselves into position to be "The Gatekeeper Of The Internet" through Windows XP. The first installment explains the basics of how this is going to happen: Reminders that last for days encouraging users to sign up for Passport, and how Windows will eventually resemble services like AOL.
LINK!
Extending Its Tentacles
The Economist has an interesting article on Microsoft's technology strategies that ends with a very astute comparison with IBM's downfall and resurrection in the wake of its own antitrust battles. "Microsoft's biggest underlying fear is that it will become like IBM -- a company that still has a strong business but no longer sets computing standards." As it launches an array of new products, the software giant is changing, and yet its basic instincts are staying much the same.
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File Extensions And Monopolies
File extensions are one of the tools used by Microsoft to extend their mind and market share. It's a very simple idea but its honestly something most people have never thought about. Definitely worth a read, and a few neurons to realize how it's really the simplest of things that will guarantee that this monopoly isn't stopped even if Microsoft's deep pockets didn't let them buy the law.
LINK!
Your Rights Online: Microsoft Shuts Auction Doors On Old Windows
Microsoft is keeping a more-vigilant eye on online auctions of old copies of Windows software, with people trying to offload it due to the upcoming release of XP. Also within the story is info and tips for donating a computer (and software licenses) to charity. (Charities must have site licenses for Windows 98 or newer!)
LINK!
EU May Fine Microsoft
The Wall Street Journal reports about a leaked European Commission document, that suggests that the EU may fine MS for anti-competitive behavior. The fine can be up to 10% of the annual revenue, or $2.5 billion and may include the demand to remove certain programs from Windows. The report harshly criticized MS way of taking influence in the case, even speaking of trying to mislead the observers. Regarding the report of the WSJ, European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said, that the case is still at a preliminary stage, since MS still has the right to defend itself at a hearing. Or in his own words: "To speak of a fine when Microsoft has not yet disputed the Commission's preliminary findings both in fact and law -- as it it's right -- is premature." Since the original is for subscribers only, take a look at Yahoo or the more detailed report from BBC News.
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Trade Group Asks British Government to Investigate Microsoft
Some of the UK's top companies are questioning Microsoft's policy on pricing. In an open letter to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, several of the top companies voiced concern at the cost of an extra £880m over a typical four-year investment cycle. No one from Microsoft has commented at this time, given the current state of affairs it's highly likely many companies will not upgrade or seek alternative cheaper solutions. Basically, a large trade group is asking the British Office of Fair Trading (akin to the FTC in the U.S.) to investigate Microsoft's price increases.
LINK!
And finally, a little humor....
Top 37 Reasons People Are Holding Off Buying Windows XP
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It may lead you to some info on your install problems.
my installation of winxp was without problems.
Oops! I meant DejaNews. LOL. Anyway, if you're ever having a problem with a computer, you can be almost 100% certain that someone else has had the identical problem and posted it to usenet.
Actually, Black Cat, the only reason why you would want to do that is for recovery purposes, if you're not doing a clean install from 9x/ME... But since you're plainning on re-installing from scratch, it is a much better choice to do NTFS from the beginning.
LOL toupsie. I guess I should give you an "A" for zeal.
My sister's Mac (which is configured for hardcore work, like graphics editing and such) crashes several times a day, although she denied it ever went down. So one day, her husband and I were watching her from ICQ, and counted how many times her name went off-line. It happened at least 6 times that day, and each time was a verified reboot of the system. This was Mac OS 8, I believe. That experience left me to wonder weather or not many Mac users are just oblivious to the number of problems their systems have just because they're told the Mac is "painless". I was using Windows NT (this was two years ago), and so was her husband... we did not reboot once that day. I could honestly tell you that that would not have been the case if I was using Windows 9x/Me. The things I do would crash any non-pre emptive multi-tasking and non-crash protection OS in a second.
As for worms and security problems, any decent administrator who's done his homework knows that Windows appears to have the number of security problems it has because it is the prominent OS today. Twenty years ago, it was Unix, and boy let me tell you, there were lots of Unix exploits back then. If Unix was as popular to the general population as Windows and Max OS is today, it would have made the same kind of headlines. In fact, back in the 80's a student was able to write a unix worm that took down the entire internet as it existed back then. He didn't even intend to crash the network. Unix has the "secure" reputation it has today because each favor of Unix has been put through the fire that Windows NT/2000/XP is being put through today.
As for the Mac OS not having security issues? Well, before MacOS X what security was there? MacOS X is based on FreeBSD, so hopefully it's got the security of any FreeBSD based kernel.
Thanks for the picture. That's a keeper.
I don't mean to be a stickler here, but wasn't it Charlie Brown that wore the red hat in baseball games?
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