“Microsoft released Windows Vista to the world one year ago with ads likening the new PC operating system to such awe-inspiring moments as the first American spaceflight and the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Todd Bishop reports for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “Charles Walling just wants it to work with his printer.”
Bishop reports, “The retired Seattle warehouseman has spent hours on the Dell tech support line, installed all the drivers and, yes, double-checked all the cords and plugs. No luck. The cause of the problem isn’t clear, but Walling knows one thing: The same printer worked with Windows Vista’s predecessor, Windows XP.
“‘You can see the frustration,’ Walling said this week, sitting at his desk after Windows Vista displayed an error message in response to an attempt to print,” Bishop reports.
Bishop reports, “Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates recently called Windows Vista the ‘best new product of the year.'”
Bishop reports, “A year after its glitzy retail launch, Windows Vista has developed a reputation as a source of frustration for others. The effects of that reputation are apparent in the habits of PC buyers. At the computer store Quidnunc in West Seattle, for example, owner Bill Hibler estimates that 40 percent of people ordering computers through his shop still ask for Windows XP.”
Bishop reports, “Walling, the retired Seattle warehouseman, moved to Windows Vista when he bought a new PC last fall. Despite the problems he has experienced, he’s sticking with the operating system, figuring it would be too much hassle to go back at this point. He still hopes to fix his printer compatibility problems. In the meantime, how does he print out his documents? ‘I don’t,’ he said.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Rob” for the heads up.]
This will all be fixed when the “successor” to Vista comes out in 2011……….
Even Microsoft-promoting Information Week has accepted that downgrading to XP is a fact of life. Read the comments and you see newer computers cannot do that even!
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205101355
Bill Gates is not of this planet if he really thinks it’s the product of the year…
this is not that different from XP according to the dim recesses of my memory. Before SP1 (or was it SP2) it was unusually awful and people hated it. I remember having support discussions along the lines of “wait for SP1 before installing” with XP.
Just another beta software OS release.
On the other hand, 10.5 rocks.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Out of the box.
What is worse, the fact that he is using Vista or that he runs it on a Dell?
When I upgraded from Tiger to Leopard, I did not have to load one single driver update, and had only one application update, which automatically loaded (Soundbooth).
That’s it. Everything worked. Exactly as it should. Period.
—
That’s all I have to say about that.
The ability to print has been an integral part of personal computing since the very beginning. I was 6 years old, and could setup my dot matrix printer from my Commodore 64, no problem. I would understand if he was trying to use a series of advanced technologies, like “Back to my Mac”, but printing? Oh, and for what it’s worth, Back to my Mac works great.
Strip Vista of unwanted crapola to make it faster and better. But just remember you can only polish a turd so far, it’s still a turd.
Free vLite
http://www.vlite.net/
I feel sorry for you by the way.
My father in law has an HP all in one printer/scanner/fax that he bought only a year before he got his mac mini.
HP still hasn’t released a Leopard compatible driver for the scanning portion of the machine, which was his whole point in getting the thing.
I wouldn’t brag too much about Leopard re: drivers.
C1
You should help out that retired warehouseman in Seattle get the proper computer and OS! Isn’t he in your stomping grounds?
What are these people doing? I know a number of people who use Vista and it works fine for them. In fact, I don’t know any Vista owner who has had any significant problem with the operating system. On the other hand, Leopard has fouled up Adobe PhotosShop’s crop tool and it won’t remember the settings I enter into the boxes. What a mess!!!!
The funny part is, Windows suffering is more enjoyable on a Mac!
Or is that “champing” grounds?
HP still hasn’t released a Leopard compatible driver for the scanning portion of the machine, which was his whole point in getting the thing.
I wouldn’t brag too much about Leopard re: drivers.
It’s not Leopard, it’s HP integrating software with the scanner drivers.
Brother does the same thing and so does Cannon I beleive.
It’s just hardware makers wanting control over their own operating system.
Holy cow, where did I hear that before?
Cry me a river. This guy sounds like a MAC user with his “just wants it [Vista] to work with his printer” nonsense.
I submit ChrissyOne’s insane statement “That’s it. Everything worked. Exactly as it should. Period.” as another example of the MAC lemming mentality. If you sissies bought a real computer you’d be hacking registries and getting to know the fine folks at Dell tech support. The gang at Acer are pretty cool too. It’s part of the process and it’s what power users do. If you can’t run with the big dogs stay on the porch.
You MAC sheep are big fat babies.
Your potential. Our passion.™
And this from a Seattle newspaper, Microsoft’s own backyard!
@ JoshtheiMacGuy
What version of Photoshop are you using? I have had no problems with CS3 on my Mac Pro under Leopard.
Jay-Z , I am using PS3 the latest version. And it is a known problem. Adobe admits it and has publicly stated that the fix will come from Apple via Leopard. Very strange. I am not going to jump ship to Windoze having just bought my first Apple machine ever. But, the idea that Vista is full of problems while Leopard ‘just works’ is nonsense. Vista works for most people I know. And Leopard has had its share of problems. Apple does seem to fix Leopard problems faster than MS fixes Vista problems, that is my impression.
“Genovese, who has become known as the “Vista Mom” because of the exchange, said her experience taught her several rules of thumb — including the need to wait for a Windows version’s first big “service pack” update before adopting it, and to buy a new PC with the new operating system, rather than upgrading an existing machine.”
Best rule of thumb!
Switch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apple should offer a 30 day trial period
“…getting to know the fine folks at Dell tech support …it’s what power users do”
Zune Tang: you are loosing your touch. Before, you could make me believe that you actually believed all the things you said (even if those things were stupid; stupid but funny). But what you said today is like a bad Adam Sandler joke.
OK, Let me explain this to you Mac people in a simple way so you can comprehend: when MS releases an OS, they have to make sure it works with gizillions of different hardware. Apple has it easy, they make both the software and hardware. Obviously the exprience is going to be smoother.
@joey – No duh dude.
And I really love the headline.
When I upgraded from Tiger to Leopard, I did not have to load one single driver update, and had only one application update, which automatically loaded (Soundbooth).
I’ll do you one better. When I upgraded from WinDUHs XP to OS X (Tiger), I didn’t have to install ANY drivers. Everything worked, even the seven year old scanner that required a driver reinstall every two months with XP. As a matter of fact, everything not only works, it works better and I have had no problems to date.
“a bad Adam Sandler joke.”
That statement is redundant, Adam Sandler joke always equals bad.
You kind of make a good point
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Great reason to go with Apple.
MSFT
You’re ticked off. We’re upticked.