June 22nd, 2007
Even Softies get the Vista installation blues
This is one for all of you readers who’ve had trouble installing Windows Vista. Don’t feel bad. Even some Microsoft developers — who have the Vista team on premise — can’t manage to upgrade to Vista.
Microsoft developer Andy Pennell wanted to install Vista at home. (Pennell is a developer on HDi, the interactivity layer for HD DVD.)
He bought a copy of Vista Ultimate. And then all hell broke loose — as he blogged this week in a post entitled “Installing Vista: My Personal Hell.” Trouble started for Pennell early, when he tried to get the media out of the new, curved Vista packaging:
“I was seriously considering a trip to the garage and to smash the box open with a hammer, when I discovered another transparent sticker that was holding two parts together. With that gone, the box moved a few more millimeters, until I realised the thing opens sideways, and boom: Vista was opened. I’ve installed entire operating systems more quickly and with less stress than opening this box…”
From there, things only got worse:
“Short story: installing Vista for me was a catalog of problems, some mine and some not. … (Things) went downhill to include weekend-long unsuccessful installs, bricking my PC, and exercising my Dell warranty to get a replacement motherboard, hard-drive and secondary hard-drive. And after all that, guess what: I still haven’t installed it.”
Pennell’s conclusions:
* “Vista cannot install to Dynamic discs (which is the default when you add a new drive to XP): switch them to Basic before attempting a Vista install
* “Only update your BIOS if you have good warranty cover on the motherboard, or are feeling lucky
* “Unplug memory card readers before installing
* “Dell’s warranty and support organization rock
* “My particular hardware cannot install Vista, and no-one knows why.”
Bring on Windows Seven!
Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or
RSS. You can also follow Mary Jo on Twitter.
Got a tip? Send Mary Jo your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. For disclosure on Mary Jo's industry affiliations, click here or to see Mary Jo's full profile click here.
