Win XP Sucks 


So, I've got this machine that I use for my main Windows development box. It's an old 1.2Ghz AMD machine that's been very reliable. It runs Windows 2000 - I've not bowed to XP upgrade pressure until support considerations forced the issue. So I embarked upon the great upgrade eXPerience.

Step 1. Following good upgrade procedure, I remove all firewall, anti-virus, etc. from the machine (I'm behind a hardware firewall anyhow, so no biggee - and I never use the thing for mail or browsing the net. Ever.) Reboot.

Step 2. Insert Windows XP Professional (full retail CD) and do an upgrade. Enter gigantic serial number (entry #1). Installer wants to download updated installation files. Fine, go ahead. Churns, then restarts the installation. Enter gigantic serial number (entry #2) says it wants to update again. OK, restart installation, enter huge serial number AGAIN (entry #3). Says it wants to update the installer again. Sensing a pattern, I tell it to piss off and just continue on doing what it was doing. The installer crashes. I reboot, enter damn huge freaking serial number AGAIN (entry #4 - by this time, I have it memorized.) Tell auto-upgrade to piss off again, and install continues.

Step 3. After a few couple of reboots, XP is ready to go! Sort of. I begin the process of going through the seemingly endless number of security patches and whatnot. My XP SP2 CD won't install until I do, and the auto updater doesn't even give me the option. Ever heard of a combo updater Microsoft? Just about every time I install a patch, it causes another to appear on the next update. Sucks. Whatever. Finally, I get down to one update left, some security patch with the vague sounding title KB835732. This kicked my ass.

Step 4. With hope beaming from my face because this may be the last update before I can get XP SP2 installed, I run Windows Update. It installs, the machine reboots. With wild abandon, I clicked the Windows Update icon one more time, to get my precious SP2. Wait. What's this? KB835732. Still there, with the ominous stats beside it proclaiming it to be a 0 KB download. In vain, I tried twice more to install this little POS. No luck. It just sits there mocking me. SP2 from CD refuses to install because of this "missing" patch. I'm screwed.

Step 5. Reinstall XP from scratch. Yes, I went from scratch, not an upgrade. I have to reinstall all the software I have and reset all my environment to what they were before, sucking hours from my life. I again get to the point where - lo and behold - KB835732 is sitting there like the unwanted turd that it is, laughing at me. It refuses to install again. On a completely fresh copy of XP.

Step 6. Search the net for KB835732. Turns out, PILES of people have problems with this update, most of them on Windows 2000, causing CPU over utilization and endless reboot cycles. On XP, it seems to have this problem of not installing. There was some hopeful rumors scratched on the wall of a newsgroup about making sure some magic DLL's were in place for NetMeeting (WTF?) but performing their magic incantations didn't fix it for me.

Step 7. To hell with SP2. I can't install it. I can't use it. I'm stuck on XP Pro. I'm an involuntary outcast, destined to remain in my dirty little cave of exploitable POS software that I can no longer update.

I hate this piece of crap. If anyone has a magic solution, please email me (t442@toast442.org) because I'd love to hear it. A beer to whoever can make this work. I'm tired of trying.  

 

Posted: Tue - January 4, 2005 at 05:25 PM          

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