More Windows Vista Stories

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Are you also considering a purchase of the new Windows Vista for your computer?

Well, it turns out that everybody was right in warning me against rushing out and embracing the new Windows Vista.

At first, I thought everything was working okay, but then, - - -

My Adobe Reader 8 wouldn't open.

My AOL Instant Messenger wouldn't connect.

My B.O.I.N.C., which operates my S.E.T.I. @ Home program, would completely disappear after each reboot.

My printer wouldn't print.

I couldn't use bold fonts in e-mails or documents.

In my opinion, the new Start Menu and the Control Panel were cluttered and difficult to work with.

When rebooting, if I select "Previous Windows Version", I get only a blank blue screen.

Today, I was on the phone for over three hours with a Microsoft technician in Bombay, India, as simultaneously, he was remotely controlling my computer, and at the same time, conferring with someone from Adobe, trying in vain to resolve my issue.

He said he'd call me back tomorrow, because by then, they think Adobe will have a patch that can be downloaded.

By the end of today, both Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft had a download for an updated printer driver compatible with Windows Vista.

Now, my printer works.

As for the Adobe Reader, AOL Instant Messenger, and B.O.I.N.C., I finally figured out how to solve those problems.

They all three have a common problem and a common solution.

First, you download them and install them, and then open them for the first time.

All three programs work.

When you are finished with any of these three programs, you must MINIMIZE them, not close them.

If you close them, they will not open again.

In each case, a new installation is necessary to make the programs work.

As for my Start Menu and my Control Panel, I found that switching to the "Classic" appearance made them much more easier to work with, whereupon I proceeded to organize and consolidate everything into new folders, arranging it the way I wanted it, and not the way Microsoft thought things should be.

I still can't use bold fonts when composing an e-mail, although I could do it when composing a WordPad document.

Go figure.

Also, a couple of my old WordPad documents denied me permission to open them, but I was able to open almost all other stored WordPad documents.

Again, there's no apparent rhyme or reason to the anomaly.

Oops - - - I just now discovered my Merriam-Webster Dictionary/Thesaurus doesn't work normally, probably because it's old software.

It works, but very awkwardly and slowly, requiring a separate cursor stroke before entering each letter in a word.

So, impatiently, I went to Merriam-Webster on the Internet to get what I wanted.

Anyway, little by little, step by step, the problems in this new Windows Vista system ARE being resolved, in some cases, as fast as they're detected and reported.

The technician in Bombay, India was very proud of having helped on the Windows Vista creation, saying it took five years and five thousand programmers to develop it.

Because it's all new, everybody, including the Microsoft technicians, are still discovering and learning.

Yes, it can be a bit scary, and it's certainly inconvenient and aggravating, but I like the idea of being one of the first to experiment with this latest technological development.

It's almost like being a part of history.

Not only that, this IS a new toy, and I must admit I ain't never quite growed up yet!

So, y'all stay tuned for further developments in the continuing saga of my brand spanking new Windows Vista, undoubtedly accompanied by an abundance of blood and gore, with shrieking and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."